17 July 2007

DVB-H

So tomorrow the EC will issue a formal statement of intent on making DVB-H the preferred standard for mobile broadcast TV in Europe. It has even ruled in making the standard mandatory from 2008.

The potential ramifications of such a move make the mind boggle. What does it mean for all those other competing standards, for one thing? Will operators be allowed to use tdTV, for example?

Of course the spectrum conundrum is far from resolved and there is a sense of "too little, too late" on the part of the EU. We are already seeing the development of a fragmented mobile TV market as technologies such as DVB-H and mediaFLO have been delayed by the lack of available spectrum and DMB and DAB-IP have muscled in. The EC wants the 27 Member States to work together to develop an EU-wide approach to UHF spectrum that will be freed up after digital switchover. But this flies in the face of the so-called technology-neutrality approach the EU professes to adopt. Wonder what technology-neutral Ofcom will make of it all.

The "digital dividend" is extremely valuable spectrum that has been fought over by broadcasters, operators and many, many others in the past two years or so.

But clearly for mobile TV to take off a unified approach is very desirable. You can see the reasoning behind it - but the feeling is that this should have been done much, much earlier.