Pan-EU mobile TV standard adopted

Information Commissioner Viviane Reding: Europe needs certainty about technology.

“For Mobile TV to take off in Europe, there must first be certainty about the technology. This is why I am glad that with today’s decision, taken by the Commission in close coordination with the Member States and the European Parliament, the EU endorses DVB-H as the preferred technology for terrestrial mobile broadcasting,” said Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for the Information Society and Media.

“The next steps for implementing the EU strategy on mobile broadcasting will include guidance on the authorisation regimes and the promotion of rights management systems based, as is DVB-H, on open standards.”

The Commission says EU-wide adoption of DVB-H will provide operators with the market scale to launch mass mobile TV services across the EU. Member states will now be required to encourage the use of DVB-H. Support for the standard is also seen as an important signal to countries outside the EU that are about to choose their technology for digital and mobile broadcasting.

DVB-H is the most widely used format for mobile TV in Europe and is currently between trials and commercial launch in 16 countries. Commercial DVB-H services are already available in Italy, with further launches expected later this year in Finland, Austria, France, Switzerland and Spain.

The Commission will monitor progress made towards the setting up of the DVB-H patent pool, which will give operators equal access to intellectual property in the field.

Guidelines on best practice in granting mobile TV licences are currently under preparation so the technology can be rapidly rolled out.

DVB-H was developed by European industry, partly with the support of EU research funds.

The Commission thinks 2008 will be a crucial year for mobile TV take-up, with important sports events, including the European Football Championship and the Olympic Games, providing a kick start the market.