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You’d better DVBelieve it

Thursday, 20 March 2008

Europe (don’t hold the front page) adopts DVB-H as regional mobile TV standard…

To nobody’s surprise at all Brussels has effectively adopted the Digital Video Broadcasting–Handheld (DVB-H) as the preferred cell phone TV standard for deployment across the region. The EC signalled its intention to do so in the middle of 2007 (click), but this week the Commission decided to add the DVB-H to the EU List of Standards. This list serves as a basis for encouraging the harmonised provision of telecommunications across the EU. The EC says the addition of DVB-H is a new step towards establishing a single market for mobile TV in Europe that will enable all EU citizens to watch programmes on the move. The EC estimates that mobile TV could reach a market of up to €20bn by 2011, reaching some 500mn customers worldwide.

“For mobile TV to take off in Europe , there must first be certainty about the technology. This is why I am glad that with today’s (17 March) decision, taken by the Commission in close coordination with the Member States and the European Parliament, the EU endorse DVB-H as the preferred technology for terrestrial mobile broadcasting,” says EU Commissioner for the Information Society and Media Viviane Reding (aka Viv the Impaler). “The next steps for implementing the EU strategy on mobile broadcasting will include guidance on the authorisation regimes as well as the promotion of rights management systems based, as is DVB-H, on open standards.”

According to the EC an EU-wide adoption of DVB-H will provide operators and industry with the necessary market scale to launch mass mobile TV services across the region. It’s argued that a European common standard will also benefit consumers, who will be able to watch TV on their own phones or mobile devices at any time, anywhere across Europe . After publication of the Commission decision in the EU List of Standards in the EU's Official Journal, Member States will be required to encourage the use of DVB-H. This support of the DVB family of standards is also apparently an important signal given to third countries about to take a decision on the technology for digital and mobile broadcasting, using DVB-T, DVB-H and DVB-SH.

The EC says DVB-H is currently the most widely used standard for mobile TV in the EU. DVB-H is currently between trials and commercial launch in 16 countries. Commercial DVB-H services are already available in Italy , with further launches expected later this year, notably in Finland , Austria , France , Switzerland and Spain .

Since a transparent intellectual property rights regime, based on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms and allowing low price of devices, is judged to be key to the success of mobile TV, the Commission says it will continue to closely monitor progress made towards the constitution of the DVB-H patent pool.

The EC also reckons the efficient procedures for authorising mobile TV operators are essential for the fast take-up of the service. In February 2008, the Commission discussed best practice for mobile TV authorisation with industry and Member States, asking for contributions on the issue from all stakeholders. Guidelines on best practice are currently under preparation to help Member States to deploy mobile TV without delay. Light-touch regulation and clear licensing regimes will give industry the legal certainty they need to launch their mobile TV services without undue impediments.

The EC’s endorsement of DVB-H doesn’t quite get a ten out of ten marking from the Ovum consultancy. “At first glance the decision appears to go against the EC's commitment to technology neutrality (the freedom to deploy any technology within a designated spectrum band to provide a service). However, technology neutrality is a principle not a dogma,” notes Ovum research analyst Matthew Howett in a posting for the company’s EuroView Daily Comment service. “The EC's next challenge will be in achieving a harmonised use of the spectrum in which the technology will operate. Opting for a single standard is useless if there is no common spectrum available to deploy it.”
John Williamson