Is India ready for the mobile TV revolution?
economic times
With mobile TV soon to debut in India, everyone is
eager to know what this new service will offer
businesses and consumers alike. Not only does this
emerging
entertainment medium promise a paradigm shift for TV
buffs but also for wireless and broadcast industries
that are poised to benefit tremendously from
it.
Combining the technologies of television and mobile
telephony, mobile TV makes high quality television
content available on the go and in a format that
the viewers understand. The convergence of these two
technologies also introduces new forms of
interactivity and personalisation, enabling the
delivery
of compelling content and services for a rich,
immersive consumer experience.
Although mobile TV is a recent phenomenon, countries
such as Japan and Korea have been quick to embrace the
opportunity and deploy new services. South
Korea in particular has had a head start in broadcast
mobile TV.
However, Japan and the US are expected to overtake it
in terms of the number of users, purely based on their
large addressable mobile subscriber bases.
According to Juniper Research, Japan, the US and South
Korea are predicted to eventually comprise 39% of the
projected $11.7 billion global broadcast mobile
TV subscriber market while Germany, Italy, the UK,
India and China will account for 36% by 2011.
What will attract viewers to mobile TV?
Traditional television viewing has been largely
place-bound - restricted to the home or
occasionally in a restaurant or sports bar. The home
television
has been shared by members of a family, with everyone
fighting over the remote control to see their
favourite shows. Mobile TV, by definition and in sharp
contrast to traditional TV, will enable
place-shifting allowing consumers with the most
personal experience of viewing content wherever they
go.
According to Trai, Indias mobile subscriber base
totals 232.87 million (as of July 2007). Its expected
to grow to over 500 million mobile connections
by 2010.
The mobile phone has become a truly ubiquitous device
in India today, with users looking to do everything on
their mobile phones, from organising their
day to playing the latest games. The debut of mobile
TV in India seems to be the natural progression in
technological innovation. Its a revolution that
will empower business users with the latest stock
information, entertain teenagers with their favourite
music videos and allow busy soccer moms to catch
their favourite soaps, all on the go.
Mobile TV also promises to open up opportunities for
governments to enhance services to citizens, ranging
from education to healthcare to safety, security
and emergency-related initiatives.
The technology behind it all
Mobile TV is still in its early stages and wide
adoption hinges on broad consumer choice and
investment. FLO (Forward Link Only), DVB-H (Digital
Video
Broadcasting Handheld), DMB-T (Digital Video
Broadcasting Terrestrial) and ISDB-T (Integrated
Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial) are some of the digital
broadcasting technology standards that have been
deployed commercially by mobile operators and
broadcasters.
The writer is a senior staff engineer with Qualcomm
India
Technologies like FLO are purpose-built for the mobile
environment, thus enabling consumers to enjoy a
high-quality TV viewing experience, comparable in
quality to what they would get from their TV sets at
home.
Are we ready for Mobile TV?
India is fourth, after China, in global wireless
penetration. Today, Indians are increasingly looking
at their mobile phones as all-purpose devices.
This trend, coupled with our huge appetite for
entertainment on TV - especially Bollywood content,
soaps, cricket, etc. - hints at the future success
of mobile TV in the country.
However, there is much to be accomplished before
mobile TV becomes viable for India. Terrestrial
broadcasting for mobile TV services needs to be opened
up for private participation. In India, opening the
market to private and foreign players has seen several
successes in the past.
For example, in the automobile industry allowing new
market entrants has resulted in a range of products at
different price points. This has vastly increased
the choices available to consumers, who can now pick
anything between the Benz and the Maruti, to suit
their lifestyle and disposable income.
Likewise, making terrestrial broadcast spectrum
licenses available to the private sector can have
similar benefits to the Indian market. Opening Indias
terrestrial video broadcasting sector, currently
limited to the state-owned Doordarshan, will enable
cable companies, broadcasters, mobile operators and
others, to transmit video signals that can be accessed
by consumers.
A similar approach was adopted in the case of the FM
spectrum in India. Today, radio exists beyond AIR,
providing consumers with a wide range of choices
to suit all tastes. Another example is DTH that has
made so many attractive packages available for the
consumer, resulting in greater consumer choice and
satisfaction. The government needs to create a
technology neutral framework for mobile TV broadcast
services and create opportunities that foster
competition
in the marketplace.
In an emerging market such as India, affordability is
a critical factor for any technology to succeed.
Mobile TV providers have effectively addressed this
issue in markets such as the US, where mobile TV
capable devices are being sold at less than $250
today.
Ensuring that Indian consumers benefit from the
availability of new entertainment services and
applications and that market players have the ability
to
profit from a commercially viable business model, is
paramount to the successful deployment of mobile TV.
This is an ongoing effort that must be undertaken by
the government and industry stakeholders. Nonetheless,
the future for mobile TV does look bright,
with the exponential growth that India is witnessing
in the wireless industry. The opportunities are
virtually boundless and mobile TV is a wildfire
waiting
to happen.
(The writer is a senior staff engineer with Qualcomm
India)
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