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with T-DMB and a pay-TV service based on S-DMB; From Free-to-Air to Pay-TV
Italy introduced mobile TV based on DVB-H. As of June
2008, Japan had 27 million customers, Korea 15 million Another trend is materialising: FTA services are
and Italy had 850,000 mobile TV subscribers (source: very much accepted by the market and actively
Alcatel-Lucent based on company reports). Based on pushed by the service providers. FTA services are
these figures, it can be seen that mobile TV services becoming the entry tickets for pay-TV services in the
offered over dedicated mobile broadcast technologies mobile world and it is clear that FTA is contributing
(DVB-H, ISDB-T, etc.) show a good trajectory. considerably to market adoption. In Japan, the 27
million mobile TV users are based on a FTA service.
Mobile phones today have screens and features that have
the potential to replace other devices. Mega pixel cameras Despite original concerns in Germany an FTA DVB-
in many phones have a similar quality to digital cameras T (Digital Video Broadcast-Terrestrial), service is
and some phones are used as full-featured MP3 players. offered for mobile usage. This is partly driven by a
Further, the screen resolution and brightness of mobile TV specific local situation where the mobile network
handsets make watching small screens as enjoyable and operators have lost the DVB-H licence ballet.
at similar quality levels as are available on many TV sets. However, this is a clear example of a sophisticated
mobile entertainment offer based on 3G streaming
Analysing the usage patterns of a mobile TV service and an FTA offer in best effort mode where the
is complex as regional differences are huge. The time reception depends on the actual network conditions.
people spend in the public transport is for example
assumed to influence the usage. However is this really Recently 3 Italy also switched to an FTA offer in
a surprise? It turns out that the usage of mobile TV is order to drive adoption while a pay-TV service is
mainly at home in a quiet environment (source: 02 trial offered as an alternative option. Another important
in Oxford, mobilkom Austria and ABI research report). key success factor for mobile TV is the production of
programs which are tailored specifically for mobile
As for content, the most popular channels in fixed TV also users. This is why 3 Italy has launched two self
become the most popular channels in mobile TV. This is produced channels: one for entertainment (LA3),
not surprising as heavy marketing investments are driving and one for major sporting events (LA3 Sport).
the viewing rates in public and private TV businesses.
Furthermore the possibility of a soft entry with a daily
Service providers have to offer innovative and clever subscription can be an essential driver for adoption. 3
service packages. A first step is to bundle services in Italy and others offered a Euro 1- per-day subscription,
order to reduce churn. The best way is to define customer- which acts as a form of teaser. The conversion rate
oriented packages which include FTA (Free-to-air), pay- from that daily subscription to a monthly subscription
TV and other value added services like PVR (Personal was up to 70% which means that the vast majority
Video Recorder). These packages allow a unique user of customers were satisfied with the service and
experience. The recently launched 3G mobile TV offer thus ended up with a monthly pay-TV subscription.
by Telstra in Australia is a good example. With Alcatel-
Lucent’s support, Telstra has extended the branding
of its pre-existing Foxtel Pay TV service, providing The time has come
brand continuity for subscribers while making Telstra’s
mobile TV offer the most comprehensive mobile However with IPTV, mobile TV is one of the
entertainment service in Australia. 3 Italy offered such cornerstones for the seamless multi-screen end-
an all-you-can-eat package for Euro 29 per month. user experience that is rapidly becoming part of
our everyday lives. Leveraging their spectrum
In the United States, ICO Global Communications is options, device availability and effective go-to-
currently testing the ICO mim™ service using the DVB- market strategies combining free-to-air, pay-TV
SH standard (Digital Video Broadcast – Satellite services and personalised services packages, it is now
to Handhelds). ICO mim will combine entertainment time for operators in Europe to look beyond the
(including mobile TV), guidance and assistance services challenges and seize the mobile TV opportunity.
for both vehicular and portable devices. In many cases a
package including flat-rate voice, data services, broadband Herbert Mittermayr is VP marketing at
wireless access and mobile TV seems to be successful. Alcatel-Lucent Mobile Broadcast
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