(20 June 2007 6:50 pm)

SINGAPORE: Nokia is bullish about DVB-H and has been conducting trials for the past year.

Speaking at the Mobile TV Forum at Broadcast today, Nokia's Pawan Gandhi said that with the Oxford Pilot in England had 83 per cent satisfactory results.

The drivers were the choice of channels offered and strong quality of picture and sound. It also did pilots in Paris and in Madrid and Barcelona. A majority of the triallists were willing to pay for the service with 76 per cent willing to take it up in a year if the price was right.

Mobile TV will combine broadcast and user generated content in future, he said. Advertising on this platform will have to become brand related, engaging and entertaining.

Mobile TV will put a lot of emphasis on personalization and interactivity. This will be one of the keys to whether it succeeds or not.

Gandhi also advocated an open global standard that would offer value for money. There will be both cost and price reductions with volume growth as several vendors invest. It will also allow for a wide range of offerings at attractive prices.

Nokia is working with DVB-H, IPDC and OMA BCAST standardisation efforts. Last year Motorola and Nokia had announced their common interoperability message.

Nokia is also a member of industry bodies to push the cause of mobile TV. "DVB-H changes the mobile media delivery landscape. It has upto 50 TV channels, hundreds of radio channels, and is DRM enabled," Gandhi said.