Orange to trial TDtv technology from IPwireless for
mobile TV
Orange To Test MBMS-based
solution in its UK unpaired 3G spectrum
[February 15th 2006] IPWireless
has announced that Orange will be the first UMTS operator
globally to test IPWireless' recently announced TDtv
technology, a mobile TV and multimedia solution
based on the 3GPP Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast
Services (MBMS) standard. Orange will launch this
technical trial in the UK in its unpaired 3G
spectrum, starting mid-2006.
TDtv operates in the
universal unpaired 3G spectrum bands that are
available across Europe and Asia at 1900MHz and
2010MHz. It allows UMTS operators like Orange to
fully utilise their existing spectrum and base
stations to offer subscribers attractive mobile TV
and multimedia packages without impacting other
voice and data 3G services.
TDtv will allow mobile
operators to deliver up to 50 channels of TV for
standard cell phone screens, or 17 higher quality
QVGA channels, in 5MHz of unpaired 1.9GHz spectrum.
Unlike current unicast mobile TV services which take
additional network bandwidth for every subscriber,
TDtv leverages MBMS to allow an unlimited number of
customers to watch the same channel or use the same
network bandwidth. With TDtv, Orange would also be
able to deliver digital audio, multicast, or other
IP data cast services to enhance their service
offerings.
"Our new TDtv multimedia
platform will allow Orange to evaluate the use of
its unpaired 1.9GHz spectrum to deliver unparalleled
multimedia services for subscribers," said Dr. Bill
Jones, chief operating officer at IPWireless. "We
believe that the unmatched combination of
performance and economics has the potential to put
Orange in the lead in the emerging mobile multimedia
market."
TDtv, which combines the
performance advantages of IPWireless' commercial
UMTS TD-CDMA solution and the newly defined 3GPP
Release 6 Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast
Standard (MBMS), offers operators a number of
significant strategic, performance and economic
advantages over alternative mobile TV solutions.
Because TDtv is based on
the 3GPP family of standards, integration of TDtv
with WCDMA on both the network and device side
should be simplified. TDtv eliminates the need to
buy new frequencies or partner with broadcasters,
leaving the UMTS operator in full control of
customer experience and revenues.
TDtv provides an
especially attractive solution for the UMTS
operators that have universal spectrum across
multiple properties, allowing the sourcing of single
devices as well as roaming across all countries.
About IPWireless
IPWireless develops
advanced next generation mobile broadband and
multimedia technology based on global standards. The
company's TD-CDMA technology has emerged as a
leading global standard for wireless broadband,
allowing operators to offer a spectrum of completely
mobile, portable, or stationary end-to-end
packet-based services with unmatched economics and
performance. TD-CDMA has the highest average sector
capacity, the strongest cell edge performance, and
the lowest cost per megabit of any standards-based
mobile technology available today, and is deployed
by leading operators around the world including
announced initiatives with T-Mobile, Orange, Sprint,
and PCCW. The IPWireless Partner Program and
chipsets allow device manufacturers and
infrastructure vendors to very quickly bring
innovative new TD-CDMA solutions to market.
