Latest Podcast



Featured Articles

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Qualcomm plans UK launch of mediaFLO mobile TV in a couple of years

Qualcomm is committed to launching mobile TV in the UK. That was one of the clear messages from today’s IQ2010 event, hosted by Qualcomm at the Science Museum in London.

Mark Bridge was there for The Fonecast. He spoke to Melanie Honnor, Business Development Director for MediaFLO in the UK, and started off by asking her the obvious question: exactly what is MediaFLO?

mediaFLOShe explained “MediaFLO is a broadcast technology that will allow media of any type to be delivered directly to your phone. It’s a separate network from 3G; it’s dedicated broadcast technology that Qualcomm has developed.”

Qualcomm believes the way mobile consumers access media in the future will need to change. MediaFlo is intended to help mobile operators manage traffic over their networks and develop a better media experience for consumers.

It’s big business in the USA, with Qualcomm owning spectrum, running its own network for mobile TV, providing content and even selling mobile TV devices. Here in the UK, we have none of that. “What’s gone wrong?”, we asked Melanie.

“It’s not gone wrong – quite the opposite. We own 40MHz of L-band spectrum which we purchased two years ago and we’re planning on using that to deliver the service. That’s a huge coup for us because it means when we get the right parties involved and get the right service ready to launch, we can go straight to market.”

Unlike the US model, Qualcomm’s European plans involve creating MFSOs – MediaFLO Service Operators – which are joint ventures with Qualcomm as the technology provider working alongside mobile operators and content providers.

Melanie also dismissed rumours about Qualcomm possibly selling MediaFLO. I asked her whether she thought MediaFLO would remain within Qualcomm, at least in the short term.

“Without a doubt”, she replied. “The discussions around that have not been any different to discussions that Qualcomm has been in since the launch of the service.”

Finally, we asked whether there'd be MediaFLO mobile TV in the UK for the London 2012 Olympics.

“I certainly hope we will! One of the strengths of MediaFLO is that we know the technology works, we’ve deployed it already and we have a plan to deploy it; because we have the spectrum, we’re ready to go. We have it certainly within our sights to get it deployed around the Olympics and use that as an opportunity. We realise that sports will be critical for the adoption of mobile media consumption. Past experiences that people have had with sporting events over 3G networks have been disappointing. The right technology hasn’t arrived yet; once we get that technology in place, I think their minds will be changed.”

Mark's full interview with Melanie Honnor – which covered a variety of mobile TV topics, including the EC’s preference for the rival DVB-H standard – will be available to download next week. There’ll also be more coverage of IQ2010 in next week’s edition of The Fonecast, which will be available to download on Wednesday 15th September 2010.

 

Print
Author: The Fonecast
1 Comments
Rate this article:
No rating

Categories: NewsNumber of views: 7688

Tags:

1 comments on article "Qualcomm plans UK launch of mediaFLO mobile TV in a couple of years"

1
0
Avatar image

Mark

9/15/2010 6:39 AM

The podcast interview with Melanie Honnor is at thefonecast.com?item=456

Leave a comment

This form collects your name, email, IP address and content so that we can keep track of the comments placed on the website. For more info check our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use where you will get more info on where, how and why we store your data.
Add comment

Opinion Articles

How AI technology is transforming the smartphone experience

How AI technology is transforming the smartphone experience

From improved performance to personalized recommendations, AI is enhancing the functionality and usability of smartphones for users

By incorporating advanced algorithms and machine learning capabilities, AI can help to optimize a smartphone's performance, providing users with a faster, more efficient and user-friendly experience.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
Whatever happened to all my tech?

Whatever happened to all my tech?

Mark Bridge revisits his mobile technology reviews

Mark Bridge writes:

I've been taking a look back at the devices I've written about during the past few years. Some are still faithful companions, others... well, let's just say my faith was misplaced.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Predictions for 2016: Network Function Virtualisation, 4G throttling and video calling

Mark Windle, head of marketing at OpenCloud, predicts that this year’s reduction in the number of traditional telecoms operators in some countries will provide an opportunity for other operators to innovate and capture market share in 2016.

He says next year will be a year of rapid change for telecoms… whether it’s MVNO disruption, competitive tariff pricing or simply defence from the ‘dark art’ of hacking.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
Kapture review: the audio-recording wristband

Kapture review: the audio-recording wristband

A 'recording watch' that links to your smartphone

Mark Bridge writes:

The most memorable moments in life often go unrecorded. You don't have your camera in your hands. Your finger is still hovering over the 'pause' button on your audio recorder. Or you were simply too busy experiencing whatever was happening. It's all about the one that got away.

That's where Kapture can help.

Author: The Fonecast
4 Comments
Article rating: 4.0
Making mobile websites work better

Making mobile websites work better

Device detection and responsive design explained

Mark Bridge writes:

James Rosewell shows me a colourful roll of paper that's the width of an iPhone but well over three metres long. When I look closer, I can see it's a printed copy of the Wall Street Journal's mobile website. That's a lot of scrolling to do... and a pretty unfriendly user experience for anyone reading the news online. Why does it work so badly?

Author: The Fonecast
1 Comments
Article rating: 4.0
RSS
123457910Last

Recent Podcasts

Big announcements from Apple, Samsung, Microsoft and LG

Podcast - 4th June 2014

Iain, James and Mark begin this week's podcast with Apple's recent iOS 8 revelation and its plan to acquire Beats Electronics.

They then move on to discuss Samsung's Tizen-powered smartphone, a new flagship device from LG and the latest Microsoft Surface tablet - as well as a network takeover in Ireland, BlackBerry’s M2M moves and UK price changes for Vodafone.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Takeovers, tablets, taxes and testing... all from the perspective of the mobile industry

Podcast - 21st May 2014

This week's podcast begins with news about the creation of Dixons Carphone plc. We then move on to talk about patent-related legal action, customised Braille phones and the health concerns of children using smartphones.

There's also time to discuss tablet shipments, potential protests and foreign network sales.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Cloud computing and Mobile: questions and answers from Mobile Monday London May 2014

Podcast - 16th May 2014

This podcast contains the audience question-and-answer session from 'Cloud Computing and Mobile'; a Mobile Monday London event held on 12th May 2014.

The discussion was chaired by Camille Mendler, Principal Analyst at Informa, with a panel that comprised Rob Easton of Google, Dr Janko Mrsic-Flogel from Private Planet, Caroline Van Den Bergh of Golden Gekko and Jonathan Raper from TransportAPI.com.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Cloud computing and Mobile: Mobile Monday London May 2014 panel discussion

Podcast - 16th May 2014

Cloud Computing and Mobile was the title of the Mobile Monday London event on 12th May 2014.

The session was chaired by Camille Mendler, Principal Analyst at Informa, who was joined by a panel that comprised Rob Easton of Google, Dr Janko Mrsic-Flogel from Private Planet, Caroline Van Den Bergh of Golden Gekko and Jonathan Raper from TransportAPI.com.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Huawei upgrades its flagship, Vodafone fixes its prices and Carphone Warehouse prepares an announcement

Podcast - 14th May 2014

This week's podcast begins with a new keenly-priced flagship smartphone from Huawei. We then move on to talk about a UK price promise from Vodafone, mobile payments, feature phone upgrades, WiFi hotspots and the benefits of a Carphone/Dixons merger.

Iain Graham, James Rosewell and Mark Bridge condense all the biggest mobile industry news headlines from the past 7 days into a free 30-minute podcast.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS
First2345791011Last

Follow thefonecast.com

Twitter @TheFonecast RSS podcast feed
Find us on Facebook Subscribe free via iTunes

Archive Calendar

«May 2024»
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
293012345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
272829303112
3456789

Archive

Terms Of Use | Privacy Statement