How to: Watch free TV on your mobile

Alright, it’s not absolutely free unless you’ve got a GPRS data allowance as part of your contract, but you don’t need to pay a subscription fee to watch the channels on offer with the innovative FreeBe TV mobile TV service. Operated by ROK Entertainment – a British start-up at the forefront of mobile broadcasting, we’re always keen to fly the flag – it boasts a selection of channels featuring user-generated and professionally produced content.

While you’re not going to find Sky News or the Beeb on the service, the Monkey News Network should suffice and other channels among the 28 on offer include V2 Music (from the record label of the same name), sports news, comedy clips and classic cartoons.

But the best part is that you don’t need a 3G connection or a fancy handset. If you’ve got one of the following on the Orange, Vodafone or T-Mobile networks, you’re in good shape:

Nokia 3250, 6110, 6230, 6630, 6680, 6681, 7610, N70, N71, N73, N76, N80, N90, N91, N93, N93i, N95, N96, E50, E60, E61, E61i, E70, E90, 9300
LG CU-500, Fusic
Sanyo MM7500, MVP
Samsung A940, A900, D730, SGH-ZX20
Sony Ericsson K500, K608i, K610i, K750i, K800i, P990i, V600i, V630i, W300i, W550i, W600i, W800i, W810i, W850i, Z520a, Z550i, Z710i
Motorola V3X

Step 1
On your PC open an internet browser and go to http://mobile.freebe.tv/. Enter the details as requested and your mobile number as you’d give it to a friend – there’s no need to enter the country code. A WAP link will be sent by SMS to your handset containing the URL you need to open on your mobile. Alternatively you can manually enter the address into your phone’s internet browser.
 
 
 

Step 2
Nokia users might need to tweak their handset’s RealPlayer video streaming settings in order to be able to receive the TV feed. So, if you’ve got one of the Finnish manufacturer’s handsets, open RealPlayer, go to Options, Settings and Connection. Scroll down and access the Network section, press Options again and access the Advanced Settings. Under GPRS Bandwidth, make sure it’s set to 37.00.
 
 
 

Step 3
When you go to the WAP address on your handset you’ll be presented with a list of channels. You can watch any of these, so scroll down the list and select the one you want. You’ll be taken to another page where you confirm your channel selection; click on the channel name and a connection will be made to the media server. Wait for a few seconds and you’ll start receiving the video feed on your phone!
 
 
 

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