O2 begins its trial of TV broadcasts to mobiles

Mobile operator begins television test in Oxford

O2 has started a trial to broadcast television programmes to mobile phones.

The pilot, which is scheduled to run for the next six months, is being conducted with 400 O2 customers in Oxford.

It is being supported by Arqiva, formerly NTL Broadcast, and will offer 16 channels including BBC 1, ITV 1 and Sky News.

The test is being conducted using Digital Video Broadcasting – Handheld (DVB-H), a new standard for transmitting digital streams to palmtop devices.

‘DVB-H is one of many standards that have been developed for IP broadcast, and is also being tested in Europe, Singapore and the US,’ said Ovum analyst John Delaney.

While the test will focus on Oxford, transmission will cover a range of 120 square miles, and will operate using Nokia 7710 handsets attached to a special receiver aerial.

The study will specifically examine the behaviour of people watching television on the move, and provide an understanding of how much customers are willing to pay for the service.

Delaney says the DVB-H standard has a number of obstacles to overcome before it reaches the mass market, starting with the permanent allocation of bandwidth.

‘At the moment there is no national spectrum allocated in the UK for DVB-H. Ofcom recently issued a clarification stating that any bandwidth that might be given would be dependent on the switch-off of analogue television services,’ said Delaney.

‘So we will not be seeing any mass market consumer services on this standard for the next two years at least.’