With nearly a billion mobile users by 2010, there is going to be a critical mass available where people can look for affordable service and entertainment of their choice such as mobile TV. Unprecedented growth of mobile handsets has empowered the common man to make use of a variety of services apart from simple voice communication as the same low cost handsets are capable of providing various other entertainment services such FM radio, camera, and video recorders. With additional costs, users can also get other features like Global Positioning System (GPS), mobile TV, location-based service, and weather information.

A mobile TV is a mobile broadcast platform that provides a digital television experience on a mobile handset. A mobile handset is a personal device and can be used anytime and anywhere. Therefore, the mobile TV service available on a mobile handset can also be accessed anytime and anywhere like voice. Mobile TV technology is a break-free technology that allows its users to use it at ease.

How is mobile TV delivered?

Mobile television services use broadcasting technologies. The combination of telecom and broadcasting networks will work for the ultimate benefit of the consumer. With the advent of mobile television services in the country, the consumers will get more choice in watching television in terms of what they watch, how they watch, and when they watch. With the increasing convergence of technologies in telecom and broadcasting on account of digitization, it is technically feasible to provide mobile television service by both telecom networks as well as by broadcasting networks.

Mobile TV technologies

Mobile TV can be delivered through various open standard-based technologies such as Digital Video Broadcasting-handheld (DVB-H), Media Forward Link Only (Media FLO), Terrestrial-Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (T-DMB), Satellite-Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (S-DMB), and One Segment Broadcasting (OSB).

Regulatory and policy intervention

Planning Commission in its 11th Five Year Plan (2007-2012) recommended that entry of private players into Doordarshan's transmission network for mobile solutions as well as terrestrial transmission should be allowed. With this reference, Ministry of I&B has sought TRAI recommendations on mobile TV service.

The TRAI started its public consultation process and views of stakeholders were taken. The primary objective of the authority was to lay down an enabling framework for provision of mobile television services by a new class of service providers who would like to provide the mobile television services using broadcasting technologies. Thus, the competition between telecom and broadcasting networks will work for the ultimate benefit of the consumer.

Another issue relating to broadcasting technology is about the route that would be preferable for mobile TV transmission - dedicated terrestrial transmission route or the satellite route. Technology-wise, the terrestrial and satellite-based systems are entirely different from each other. These two transmission routes use different spectrum bands and have different coverage areas. Terrestrial transmission for mobile television service provides coverage just like analog terrestrial television transmission of Doordarshan or FM radio. As against this, satellite-based mobile television service would cover large parts of the country. Here, it is pertinent to mention that reception of DTH service requires a dish antenna in clear line of sight of the satellite. For a mobile television receiver, dish antenna is untenable. For outdoor purpose, the mobile handset can receive the signals directly from the satellite. However, in case of indoor use, terrestrial repeaters (working in the same spectrum band as satellite signals) are required to provide sufficient signal strength of mobile television service. Given that significant amount of mobile TV viewing occurs in-house, pure satellite solution is not good enough and a terrestrial supplement becomes a must.

TRAI has also recommended for enabling and facilitating the existing telecom and broadcasting licensees to utilize their networks for rollout of mobile television services as well as to introduce new service providers who may rollout these services by putting up new networks for mobile television service. TRAI has also sent its recommendations on mobile TV service on 23rd January, 2008 to the Ministry of I&B for making policy guidelines for mobile TV service. The key recommendations are:

Mobile TV handset

To deliver mobile TV service, handset manufacturers such as Nokia, LG, Samsung, and Motorola have already introduced their handsets to cater to the mobile TV service. The commercial service is available in several countries - the largest being in the US.

Mobile TV ecosystem:

To deliver successful Mobile TV service, a healthy ecosystem should exist. In the mobile TV ecosystem, consumer takes the center stage and other ecosystem partners, namely, service providers, content providers, vendors, wireless operators, handset manufacturers, technology providers, broadcast network and infrastructure providers, and advertisers deliver the seamless service in tandem with one another.

"IPTV India Forum has been interacting with various stakeholders and has worked closely with TRAI in the process of making its recommendations to the Ministry of I&B. The Forum will now interact closely with the Ministry of I&B for the issuance of mobile TV guidelines and allow early trials to develop an ecosystem to deliver the mobile TV service during the Commonwealth Games to be held in 2010 in Delhi."