DigiTAG

Web Letter

June 2006 | # 52

DigiTAG seeks to inform members and non-members about important developments in the digital terrestrial television market. Each month, DigiTAG distributes its web letter with news updates and further exploration of one topic. The below web letter provides an update on mobile television services in Europe.

To subscribe to the DigiTAG Web Letter, send an email to the DigiTAG Project Office.

Mobile TV launches in Europe

Broadcasting to mobile receivers has begun in Europe. Services have been launched in Italy and Germany and are expected to begin in the United Kingdom and Finland by the end of the year. Many countries throughout western Europe have undertaken pilots for mobile television services for both the DVB-H and the T-DMB standards. In some cases, these pilots may become full commercial launches.

DVB-H in Italy

Hutchison-Whampoa-owned 3 Italia has become the first service provider to launch DVB-H services in Europe. Broadcasts began at the end of April although the official launch of Walk TV, including the full programme offer with 15 services, began in June. Content includes live coverage of the FIFA World Cup as well as services from leading broadcasters such as RAI, Sky, Mediaset, and La3. The content offer is expected to increase to 20 services by the end of the year and 40 services by 2008. Nagravision is providing the conditional access system .

Since the middle of May, LG U900 receivers have been available and, since early June, the Samsung P910. Viewers can choose from a variety of different payment schemes, from unlimited television for one day (€3) to 6 months (€99) or instead subscribe to a monthly offer that also includes telephony services. Services are currently available to 65% of the population.

The launch of Walk TV by 3 Italia could raise regulatory concerns. For example, the acquisition of the necessary broadcast frequencies by a telecom operator would seem to suggest that a telecom operator can provide broadcast services. In terms of the DVB-H broadcast licence, national regulators have allowed the offer of DVB-H services to fall under the remit of the DVB-T broadcast licence. This differs from other countries, such as Finland, whose regulators have allocated specific DVB-H licences.

Further DVB-H services are expected to be launched by the end of the year by Mediaset in conjunction with the telecom operators TIM and Vodafone. During the recent Winter Olympics in Turin, the public service broadcaster RAI trialled the first DVB-H services on the same UHF channel as HDTV services using hierarchical modulation.

T-DMB and DVB-H in Germany

Mobiles Fernsehen Deutschland (MFD) launched Watcha TV, the mobile television services using the T-DMB standard, in several large German cities on 31 May. It is expected that the reach of the services will continue expanding into 2007 at which time 61.8 million people will be able to access services.

The service offers viewers access to four television programme services, ZDF, N24, Pro7/SAT1 and MTV, and several radio services including the visual radio service Big FM 2. Apart from the free service ZDF, the other television services are available for a monthly fee ranging between €9.95 to €14.95 per month. Receivers have been made available by Samsung and LG.

At this stage, Debitel is the only telecom operator providing the service to viewers. Other telecom operators appear more reluctant to join the T-DMB services, perhaps preferring to support instead an eventual DVB-H service launch.

In early June, four telecom operators, E-Plus, O2, T-Mobile and Vodafone, launched a DVB-H trial in northern Germany which is expected to serve as the precursor to a DVB-H launch in 2007. Beginning alongside the FIFA World Cup, the trial will run until 31 August 2006 in the cities of Berlin, Hamburg and Hanover and 31 July in Munich. Viewers can access 14 television and 6 radio programmes with receivers provided by BenQ, Motorola, Nokia, Sagem and Samsung.

DVB-H in Finland

With the government's allocation of its DVB-H licence to the network operator Digita, DVB-H services are expected to be launched by the end of the year. In a first stage of roll-out, DVB-H services will cover the Helsinki region (Ring Road III) as well as the cities of Turku, Tampere, and Oulu. It is expected that 29% of the population will be able to access DVB-H services by the end of 2006 and further plans to extend the network are underway.

Digita has selected Nokia to supply its DVB-H service management solution, known as Broadcast Solution (MBS) 3.0. The solution is based on open standards and will support both Open Air Interface (OAI) and the DVB-CBMS implementation profiles.

Mobile TV in the UK

Trials using different mobile broadcasting standards have been undertaken in the UK. In Oxford, network operator Arqiva and telecom operator O2 undertook a DVB-H trial which showed high levels of user interest in mobile television. Arqiva also participated in an IP Datacasting trial in Cambridge while British Telecom (BT) trialled DAB-IP services in the greater London area. Most recently, partners from the UK and Korea, including the Korean Ministry for Information and Communication, launched a trial on the DAB platform testing both T-DMB and DAB-IP technologies.

Following on the success of its DVB-H trial conducted in Oxford, mobile operator O2 and the broadcast network operator Arqiva announced plans to extend the trial duration. BT has also announced its plans to launch BT Movio as a commercial service which is based on the DAB-IP technology used in its trial.

DVB-H versus T-DMB

For the past year, Europe witnessed much competition between the proponents of the different mobile broadcasting technologies as each tries to jockey for the leading position. Already, services have been - or will soon - be launched using the DVB-H, T-DMB and DAB-IP technologies.

Each technology has its benefits and drawbacks. Technologies using the DAB platform are limited by the number of video services available to viewers when compared with DVB-H. However, DAB-based technologies already have assigned frequencies in all countries. It is for this reason that it will initially be easier to launch DAB-based technologies, assuming that service providers wish to do so.

With its first-to-the-market position, DAB-based technologies can be established on the market and build credibility with viewers. Yet, rather than serving as a threat to DVB-H, this may instead underline the consumer interest in mobile television and provide a means of opening the market to DVB-H services.

Currently, viewers who are familiar with mobile television via UMTS may feel that they are expensive services and not always of adequate technical quality. The launch of DAB-based services will allow viewers to become accustomed to unlimited broadcast services, the new payment scheme and perhaps the use of interactivity. Because DVB-H can provide an increase in the number of video services available, viewers may choose to adopt the new services assuming that the pricing scheme remains similar. For viewers, it is the mobile access to television which is key, regardless of the technology used.

Telecom operators appear to favour the DVB-H standard. Taking the example of Germany, 4 telecom operators are working together in a DVB-H trial while only 1 telecom operator is choosing to offer official T-DMB services to its viewers.

Ultimately, the viewers - and the market - will decide which technology is used to provide broadcast services to mobile receivers. It may well be that consumer products will perhaps combine many technologies and that the viewer can watch television irrespective of the particular technology in use.

Source: Natalie Mouyal, DigiTAG Project Office

About DigiTAG

DigiTAG aims to encourage and facilitate the implementation and introduction of digital terrestrial television services using the Digital Video Broadcasting Project's Standard (DVB-T). It has some 60 members from broadcasting, network operators, regulatory, and manufacturing organisations throughout Europe and beyond.

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DTT NEWS ROUND-UP

For all articles, please go to DigiTAG News

Analogue Switch-off in Europe

DigiTAG has published a new handbook that looks at analogue switch-off in Europe.

The DigiTAG Handbook examines the various factors affecting analogue switch-off, the different approaches used and the implications for 'stakeholders' in the television broadcast chain.

Please see the DigiTAG website

Norway - Government awards DTT license

The government has announced that it has awarded NTV with its DTT licence. It is likely that DTT services will begin in the summer of 2007 .

NTV, an organisation set up by NRK, TV2 and Telenor, had been the only contender for the available DTT licence. As per the proposal made by NTV, one multiplex will offer free-to-air DTT services while two additional multiplexes will offer pay DTT services.

It is expected that Norway will launch its DTT services using the MPEG-4 video compression standard.

Source: Telenor

United Kingdom - DTT overtakes analogue television

According to the latest figures published by Ofcom, 18.2 million households received digital television by the end of March 2006. At the end of 2005, 69.5% of households accessed digital television, in comparison with 72.5% at the end of March 2006.

For the first time, the number of households using the DTT platform has surpassed the number of analogue terrestrial households.

Almost 7.1 million households rely on DTT for their primary television set compared to around 6.4 million who are yet to take-up digital television.

Source: Ofcom Market report

France - HD/DTT trial has begun

The Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel (CSA) has confirmed the plans for free-to-air HDTV trials on the DTT platform.

Broadcasters (TF1, M6, Canal+, Arte, and France Télévisions) are able to transmit their programmes in HD between 28 May and 17 July to coincide with the Roland Garros and Wimbledon tennis tournaments and FIFA World Cup.

A calendar has been established detailing when each broadcaster will be able to trial services in the two available multiplexes. The trial will be available in Paris, Lyon and Marseille.

Source: CSA website

Spain - Government funding for DTT activities

The Minster of Industry, Tourism and Commerce, José Montilla, and the head of the Spanish organisation responsible for promoting DTT services (Asociación para la Implantación y Desarrollo de la Televisión Digital Terrestre en España), Joan Majó, have signed a cooperation agreement.

As per the terms of the agreement, the two bodies will collaborate in joint initiatives to promote DTT services during the next year. They have agreed to jointly fund activities for up to €18 million in the next few years.

Expected activities include analogue switch-off pilots as well as trials of new digital services.

Analogue switch-off is currently planned to take place on 3 April 2010.

Source: UNA and advanced-television.com

United Kingdom - Results of Bolton DSO trial

The government has released the results of its trial to test how to support vulnerable viewers through switchover.

Over 400 households from the Hulton ward of Bolton participated in the trial begun in July 2005. Each trial household was home to at least one person aged 75 or over or one person with significant disabilities.

Results of the trial showed that the vast majority of older people thought switching over was easy and liked watching digital television. 98% of participants felt watching digital TV was better or the same as watching analogue and 93% thought the process of switching to digital TV had been easy.

The trial also highlighted the importance of support from family and friends in installing and using the equipment and the need to give older and disabled people time to adapt to using new television equipment.

The trial was run jointly by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the BBC.