News
BT Movio to support DVB-H
Stuart O'Brien Jul 11 2006, 1:15pm
British Telecom could in future integrate the DVB-H standard into its Movio broadcast mobile TV and radio platform, which is currently built around DAB technology.
The decision comes following a revision of the DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) specification by standards body ETSI that ensures it can support Internet Protocol (IP).
The revised standard will underpin the BT Movio wholesale broadcast mobile TV and radio service - due to launch in the UK this summer with Virgin Mobile- and means BT can 'mix and match' with other IP-based bearer technologies like 3G, WLAN and DVB-H.
Emma Lloyd, managing director of BT Movio, said: “The approval of this latest enhancement to the DAB standard supports what we’ve been saying for some time. We will see multiple standards for mobile TV and radio appearing in different markets across the globe.
Those adopting a multi-standard approach will therefore emerge as the winners in this potentially lucrative market.
“Consumers want simple access to high quality TV and radio wherever they are. By using a platform based on IP, we can join different technologies and standards together to give the consumer a seamless experience to enjoy their favourite TV and radio programmes on their mobile phone.”
BT Movio has initially chosen to launch using a DAB-IP based platform over DVB-H due to the existing DAB broadcasting capacity in the UK, the plethora of radio stations already available and the fact video can be integrated relatively easily.
