Europe : 3, Ireland’s mobile media network, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a licence by ComReg to trial broadcast TV services over mobile handsets. The licence takes effect immediately and runs for one year.

Above shows Live Broadcast TV over Mobile during a trial in Italy by 3 Italia.

DVB-H is a technology specifically developed for broadcasting live television channels via mobile handsets. Broadcast mobile TV transmitted via DVB-H has the potential to bring a number of consumer benefits including:

Access to many live TV channels.
An enhanced customer experience through new functionality such as interactive TV.
High-quality pictures and sound without delays, freezing or buffering.
An efficient delivery system which reduces battery consumption.

Robert Finnegan, 3’s Managing Director commented: “3 Italy was first in Europe to launch broadcast TV over mobile, so as a Group we are already leading the development of this new technology. Ireland has a high take-up of digital TV services compared to many EU countries with 42% of all households using digital TV services. DVB-H brings the benefits of Digital TV to mobile. Mobile TV is important to 3 and to the Irish market, as consumers demand more sophisticated mobile services.”

The Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Mr Noel Dempsey, TD, said: “I welcome all developments in the digital television area. It is particularly important that Ireland rolls out a digital terrestrial television network in the coming years and that the full range of digital services become available to the Irish citizen."

3’s sister company in Italy launched its DVB-H service called WalkTV earlier this year and is already broadcasting mobile TV to a large audience, with 140,000 customers signing up in just six weeks.

3’s DVB-H tests in Ireland follow the success of a range of TV content available on 3 from Barclays Premiership highlights and the best of Father Ted, to 3’s own music channel hosted by Tom Dunne.

About DVB-H

DVB-H is a technology bringing broadcast video and data services to mobile phones and was formally adopted as an ETIS standard in November 2004. Building on the strengths of the Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DVB-T) standard, which is used in millions of homes, DVB-H recognises the trend towards personal consumption of mobile media.

To date Irish digital television services have only been available via satellite, cable and MMDS. The adoption of the DVB-H standard will open possibilities for a new range of services in mobile handsets. DVB-H can be used alongside mobile telephone technology and thus benefits from access to a mobile telecom network and a broadcast network.

DVB-H enables viewers to watch television on a handheld device as the act of viewing is increasingly becoming an individual, rather than a social, activity. Television services can be accessed when viewers are ‘on the move’, using public transport, waiting for an appointment or while at work, etc.

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