Continuing our overload on Qualcomm’s mobile TV technology MediaFLO, it seems that the UK will be the first European country to get the live TV broadcast service, with BSkyB the hotly-tipped lead partner.
“Anywhere we’ve a trial [of MediaFLO], we expect a clear path to commercial deployment,” said Jeffrey Brown, MediaFLO’s head of global strategy and development (pictured), at a press briefing prior to Qualcomm’s BREW 2007 conference.
He wouldn’t comment on specific partners however. Instead he said that Europe is a longterm market for the company, as the high population densities meant the potential return on investment could be better than in the US.
The UK’s top of the list thanks to Qualcomm’s two previous trials with Sky, plus the fact that broadcast spectrum is being made available, firstly in terms of L band spectrum, and more widely, thanks to the analogue TV switch-off that will be completed by 2012.
In comparison, Brown said spectrum availability issues meant the system was unlikely to be launched in France and Germany in the medium term. Things were more hopeful in Italy, despite three operators currently using the rival DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting – Handheld) system, and discussions were ongoing with Spanish companies. Services are also expected in Taiwan, Japan and Hong Kong in the near future.
As for how Qualcomm expects to roll out the service, Brown explained it wouldn’t be building its own network infrastructure, which was the route taken in the US. Instead, there would be a mixture of joint venture companies and partnerships with broadcasters and network operators.
“Some companies might not want our money, just our technology,” he suggested.
Other options might include a mixture of free-to-air content with a subscription service, suggesting national broadcasters such as the BBC could get in on the act. Brown was convinced an advertising-only model wasn’t commercially viable however, as experience in Japan has shown the widespread availability of free content ends up reducing overall ARPUs.
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