Nokia, Motorola to cooperate on mobile video
The cell phone heavyweights agree to promote a broadcast standard for mobile TV.
Motorola and Nokia announced on Monday they will be working together to promote DVB-H (digital video broadcasting--handheld), one standard used for broadcast mobile TV, with a view to interoperability between all their relevant hardware and services.
The pair have also thrown their collective weight behind DVB-IPDC (digital video broadcasting--Internet Protocol device control) standardization efforts.
DVB-H is just one of many competing standards of mobile TV being tested in markets around the world. Other standards include DAB-IP (digital audio broadcasting--Internet Protocol), used by BT and Virgin Mobile, and MediaFlo, the Qualcomm standard being pilot-tested by Sky Broadcasting's Sky Link.
DVB-H is thought by many industry watchers to be the standard that will eventually prevail--a prediction that likely will be given more weight in light of Monday's announcement. According to research company Informa, more than 50 million DVB-H devices will be sold in 2010.
Analyst firm Gartner has predicted that one in 10 mobile-service customers will be watching TV via a mobile in 2009.
Jo Best of Silicon.com reported from London.