DVB-H Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld is a direct competitor to MediaFLO (see below for definition). It’s a specification for bringing broadcast services to battery-powered handheld receivers. It was adopted formally as an ETSI standard in November 2004. DVB-H is based largely on a specification for digital terrestrial television, adding to it a number of features designed to take account of the limited battery life of small handheld devices.
DVB-H is supported by the Mobile Digital TV Alliance in North America, whose members include Intel Corp., Microsoft Corp., Modeo LLC, Motorola Inc., Nokia, and Texas Instruments.
Hiwire LLC At press time, U.S. company Hiwire was piloting its own version of DVB-H in Las Vegas with T-Mobile USA LLC, with an eye to creating a wholesale service that would be resold by one or multiple wireless carriers. Following a successful launch in Las Vegas, it plans to expand to additional markets.
MediaFLO QUALCOMM Inc.’s baby, MediaFLO is a proprietary network architecture optimized for mobile broadcasting. QUALCOMM has conducted trials of the technology in Las Vegas and will be deploying with British Sky Broadcasting in the U.K.
Modeo LLC Formerly known as Crown Castle Mobile Media, Modeo is working with device manufacturers such as Motorola Inc. and Nokia to trial its version of DVB-H across the country. It has piloted its mobile broadcast network in Pittsburgh, and now is working on a nationwide deployment to the top 30 U.S. markets, with launches targeted throughout 2007. The network will be available to carriers, making it a competitor to Hiwire.
WiMAX 802.16e, the version of the broadband wireless access standard known as WiMAX that supports mobility, offers enough spectral efficiency, capacity and coverage – along with native support for IP and QoS designations – to support broadcast traffic. WiMAX is supported by the WiMAX Forum, which is a consortium of vendors and carriers, including Sprint Nextel Corp. The forum will begin certifying 802.16e equipment as standard and interoperable later this year.
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