Hellenic Telecommunications Organization S.A.
Mobile TV in the European Market Sector:
Opportunities and Limitations
Dr. Ioannis P. CHOCHLIOUROS
Telecommunications Engineer, Ph.D., M.Sc.
Head of Research Programs Section,
Labs & New Technologies Division
Network Strategy & Architecture Dept.,
Hellenic Telecommunications Organization S.A.
Ms. Anastasia S. SPILIOPOULOU
Lawyer, LL.M.,
c.Ph.D. of Athens University Law School
Member of Athens Bar Association
Presentation Summary
 Brief overview of Mobile TV
 Innovative features & global market opportunities
 Potential Obstacles & Limitations:
 Technical Issues: Standards & Interoperability
 Radio Spectrum Availability
 Appropriate Regulatory Environment
 Content-related Issues
 Concluding Remarks
Brief overview of Mobile TV (1/2)
Mobile Television (M-TV):
is the transmission of "traditional" and on-demand
audiovisual content to a "suitable" mobile device,
including both live and time-shifted TV.
is a major example of "digital convergence" between
telecommunications, broadcasting and the Internet.
can occur over a variety of networks, including cellular
mobile, terrestrial broadcast, satellite and Internetbased.
Brief overview of Mobile TV (2/2)
Mobile TV transmission can be distinguished to:
 Unicast ("one to one")
Examples: VoD & time-shifted tv content
 Broadcast ("one to many"): it delivers content to a
large number of users, simultaneously, and is the ”key”
to achieve mass-market deployment
Technically, there are two main ways of delivering M-TV:
 via a cellular network or
 through a dedicated broadcast network.
Innovative Features (1/2)
Mobile TV can bring together personal mobile
communications (i.e. one of the most dynamic
European markets) with the diversity of Europe’s
audiovisual sector!
Mobile TV is one of the coming technologies that
offers the potential of becoming a new mass
phenomenon or a ”new killer-application”, in the
wider market of electronic communications.
Mobile TV can create a new lifestyle rather than just
a new technology platform.
Innovative Features (2/2)
A possibility of viewing any content, any time, anywhere
Mobility & interactivity: Viewers can see TV while they ”on the
move” and also access personalised, interactive and ondemand audiovisual content, specifically adapted to the mobile
medium.
Diversity of services & customization/personalization: Mobile
TV offers a great variety of services including video-on-demand
(VoD), traditional/linear and live TV programs.
Accessibility & Ease of Use: Once locally stored, content can be
viewed even when there is no network connection –
Market Opportunities for Mobile TV (1/2 )
Mobile TV may constitutes the ”basis” for new profits in
various business domains and multiple players:
- mobile operators
- network operators & integrators
- manufacturers & equipment suppliers
- broadcasters & content creators/aggregators
- service providers & software providers
Mobile TV is a remarkable opportunity for Europe
to maintain and expand its leadership in mobile
communications technology & in audiovisual services,
to further boost some adjacent sectors (content
creation/aggregation, software provision, etc.).
Market Opportunities for Mobile TV (2/2 )
Mobile TV can potentially be a market of up to 20 billion Euros
Broadcast
Mobile TV Subscriber
by 2011, reaching
between
200Uptake:
million and 500 million
Perplexity among Analysts
customers worldwide!
Variation of estimates
Number of subscribers w orldw ide (million) average of estimates
500
400
335,0
300
200
100
72,5
3,4
11,8
112,8
26,0
0
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Estimates by: In-Stat, ABI, NSR, Datamonitor, Informa Telecoms&Media, eMarketer,
Strategy Analytics, Gartner
A high increase in demand in 2009 with an impressive 68 million
subscribers in Europe by 2011, are predicted based on models in
which M-TV is offered as part of a service package.
Some €7-9 million by around 2010-11, and a €20 billion turnover in
2015.
Mobile-TV: Current state
Until today, the take-up of services in Europe still
remains slow in comparison with the US and Asia.
Penetration rate in South Korea is close to 10% (the EU
leader Italy has only a rate of less than 1%).
South Korea and Japan alone have 20 million Mobile TV
customers (more than 30 times the number of actual users
in the EU).
In the US, service is commercially offered since 2003.
Obstacles & Limitations for Growth
● Current development is still slow and not efficiently
"coordinated ", to create right conditions for a quick take-up
of Mobile TV, on a large scale in Europe.
● A predictable environment is required to support:
investment in equipment production
development/launching of services
dispersion/penetration of all related facilities.
● The relevant market is still in its "infancy" - Clear signals are
needed from policy makers on issues like:
Technical matters (mainly standards & interoperability)
spectrum
licensing and regulation
content creation/provision
Obstacles & Limitations for Growth
A Common Approach on Technical Issues
Different existing (occasionally competing)
technologies, create a complexity of technical
options and solutions which prevents from wide
implementation!
The European response:
 Industry-led approaches with regard to the definition of
standards and interoperability issues.
 Support of open standards, as the basis for technology
development.
Obstacles & Limitations for Growth
Support for a Common European Standard DVB-H
DVB-H: A new open digital broadcasting standard for the
reception/transmission of video-audio-data to
mobile handset terminals.
Compatible with the DVB-T (terrestrial) standard.
Specifies both the physical & the lower protocol layers.
Can be extended to satellite transmission (DVB-SH).
Emphasizes on practical facilities for handheld terminals:
• low power consumption (to prolong battery life)
• increased robustness (to facilitate operation at high vehicle
speed)
• high data rates of 10 Mbit/s per channel (to offer
”broadcast”-equivalent services)
Obstacles & Limitations for Growth
DVB-H : A Global Standard
Overview of DVB-H adoption:
 Commercial DVB-H services already available in Italy.
 Further launches are expected in France, Austria, Finland,
Switzerland, Estonia and Spain.
 Pre-commercial and commercial services using DVB-H
networks have already been rolled-out in:
South-East Asia (Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines),
India and Africa (Nigeria, Kenya, Namibia).
Uruguay and Colombia have chosen DVB-T; DVB-H will be
proper for rolling-out mobile broadcasting trials.
Obstacles & Limitations for Growth
Spectrum Availability for Mobile TV Services
Sufficient frequencies should be guaranteed, in a timely and
practical manner, for suitable usages.
Mobile TV can benefit from some EU frequencies soon:
In the short term, some frequencies are immediately made
available, to allow start of services.
In the medium term, the switchover from analogue to digital TV,
anticipated by 2012, should release some spectrum (i.e. the
”digital dividend”) for promising new digital applications.
Obstacles & Limitations for Growth
Spectrum Availability: Proposed Bands for Use
Spectrum in the UHF band (470-862 MHz) is considered as
"the most suitable" for mobile multimedia services.
The UHF band provides advantages due to the
compatibility of DVB-H with DVB-T,
but its use is constrained by diverging national policies
regarding the "digital dividend" and by a "lack" of
European coordination.
Currently, the EU also examines the possibility to open-up
the L-band (1452-1492 MHz) to multimedia services
(including Mobile TV),
as a "fall-back solution“, in cases where there is no
other spectrum available…
Obstacles & Limitations for Growth
Suitable regulation for innovation & investments
Depiction of the current situation:
In many EU Member States, Mobile TV is subject to the general
regime applying to broadcasting.
In some others, there are no specific rules, or the relevant
regulatory framework is still being debated.
So far, there is little experience with broadcasting services using
exclusively mobile transmission (i.e. not having a "traditional"
broadcasting programme licence under media law).
The new European Audiovisual Media Services Directive
2007/65/EC will contribute to the success of Mobile TV, by
providing a coherent regulatory framework for the delivery of
audiovisual media service, including on-demand services via
mobile networks.
Obstacles & Limitations for Growth
Necessity to overpass any “content uncertainty“ issue
It is appropriate for the market to define:
which content may be most attractive/suitable for use,
how it can be produced and distributed flexibly,
how to establish copyright protection issues
how to made “prime“ content (e.g. sports) widely accessible
on new platforms and across borders
how “profitable“ services can be built.
Services offered will never be "popular" without
compelling content and services.
Special tools are required to produce/adapt M-TV content
fast, easily, and at low costs.
Content needs to be enriched with additional features to
allow access to further business.
A transparent IPR regime is necessary.
Concluding Remarks
Mobile TV is at the crossroads of two powerful social trends (i.e.
greater mobility and new forms of accessing media content)
and can become one of the next high-growth consumer
technologies
Mobile-TV is an "opportunity" for Europe to maintain and expand
its leadership in mobile technology and audiovisual services
The recent EU strategy directive will allow achieving remarkable
benefits, for the entirety of the market sector.
Further support of DVB-H -based solutions, will help to reduce
market fragmentation and to provide certainty for investments.