Mobile TV Heads to Europe

14/11/2005 Finland invited bids for what could become Europe's first commercial nation-wide mobile television network licence.

Expressing on Monday its hopes to promote the creation of a new content services market.

The communications ministry said applicants would have to use the DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting Handheld) technology, for which mobile equipment makers like top handset maker Nokia plan to launch devices.

DVB-H, tested by telecom operators including Vodafone, bypasses regular networks by broadcasting directly to mobile phones, but operators will need new radio frequencies before being able to launch commercial services.

"The services provided in the network could be received with mobile terminals in a moving car, for example. Such services include television-type programmes, short videos and games," the ministry said in a statement.

It said the licence holder would be obliged to sell network capacity to service operators and other third parties.

Earlier this year, a number of Finnish companies including Nokia took part in a pilot study using the DVB-H standard, and participants said the study showed solid consumer support for commercial mobile TV.

Finland's Digita, a unit of French media group TDF which won a licence earlier this year to set up a new mobile broadband network in Finland, has said it was likely to apply for the Finnish mobile TV network licence as well.

The application period closes at the end of January but interested companies must contact the ministry by November 28.