[February 10th 2006] DAB-based Mobile TV technology is successfully extending
its lead over other Mobile TV technologies with the first full commercial launch
of DMB in Korea in 2005 and further commercial roll-out expected throughout
2006. DMB is part of the DAB family of compatible standards, and already
delivers digital radio, multimedia and Mobile TV. The DAB family also offers a
DAB-IP Mobile TV option, successfully endorsed by BT Movio in the UK, making DAB
the preferred standard of choice for multimedia delivery on the move.
Advanced trials of Mobile TV using DAB-based technology are live in 18 centres
around the world, with DMB services set to deploy commercially in key markets
including Germany and China in 2006. This market-leading system is available now
to launch Mobile TV services without having to wait for consumer technology,
standards setting, network infrastructure or spectrum.
Whilst other technologies are being developed for Mobile TV, none is as
commercially advanced, viable, robust, reliable or flexible as DAB’s solutions.
The DMB solution is ready to roll out and is the technology of choice to start
Mobile TV now, giving operators first-to-market advantage. In many countries,
not only is spectrum already available, but network infrastructure is often in
place and Tier 1 manufacturers are shipping mass production DMB receivers
The success of DAB lies in its ability to deliver DMB or DAB-IP Mobile TV
together with DAB radio within a single system. DAB was developed from the
outset specifically for mobile receivers and was not re-engineered for mobile
from another system. DAB, DMB and DAB-IP all share the same infrastructure,
spectrum, transmission protocol and receiver components which gives an unmatched
flexibility, speed and economy of scale to any deployment.
Key DMB advantages:
• Full consumer launch in Korea in December 2005
• Commercial launch in Europe and China in 2006
• 100,000 receivers sold in less than 2 months by Samsung, LG and Perstel
• 500,000 receivers shipping to China
• 2+ million sales forecast by the end of 2006
• Global standard. DAB and DMB standardised by ETSI
• Lowest risk, scalable implementation.
“DAB is a low-risk strategy as it is both more scalable and cheaper at the
outset”. An Economic Analysis of DAB and DVB-H, EBU Technical Review, January
2006
• Cost-effective universal coverage of rural and urban areas
Key DAB-IP advantages
• DAB-IP based service set to launch in the UK mid 2006
• Radio and Mobile TV with full digital radio and TV EPG (Electronic Programme
Guide)
• Mass production handset to launch at 3GSM
Live DMB Pilot at 3GSM
DMB Mobile TV broadcasts will be live in Barcelona throughout 3GSM via a
collaboration between WorldDAB, the Government of Catalonia, leading Spanish
infrastructure and telecommunication provider Abertis Telecom, the Catalan
Broadcasting Corporation and leading provider of DAB/DMB systems Factum
Electronics. Pixtree of Korea will be providing the necessary DMB encoders. The
demonstration will be on air until the end of February. Two DMB video channels
will be available and accessible on mobile devices provided by Samsung, LG
Electronics and Perstel.
Congress attendees will be able to see DMB demonstrated on the following booths:
Samsung Telecommunication (Hall 8, stands A02B & CY10), LG Electronics (Hall 8,
stand A01), Frontier Silicon (Hall 1, stand D153), Siano (Hall 2, stand G50),
OntimeTek (Hall 1, stand HS126) and Imagination Technologies (Hall 2, stand
G37/G19).
DAB-IP at 3GSM
BT Movio is utilising the DAB-IP platform to launch the first wholesale
broadcast mobile entertainment service to be made available in the UK. The
service will offer a white-label broadcast digital TV and radio service for
mobile operators. At this year's 3GSM World Congress, BT Movio will also unveil
the world's first DAB-IP enabled Smartphone which will deliver a "real" TV
experience on a mobile device for consumers.
Congress attendees will be able to see DAB-IP demonstrated on the following
booths: Microsoft (Hall 1, stand C41, booth 12), TTP (Hall 1, stand D119).
WorldDAB will hold a Press Conference at 11:00 on Wednesday, February 14 at the
Catalan Pavillion, Hall 3, Plaza del Universo in Barcelona. Speaking on behalf
of WorldDAB will be its newly appointed Vice President, Mr Young Kyun Kim,
Senior Vice President at Samsung Electronics. Speakers will also include key
representatives from the Government of Catalonia, Abertis Telecom, the Catalan
Broadcasting Corporation, and Factum Electronics.
Key facts about Mobile TV Now!
There are two ways of delivering video and multimedia services to mobile devices
via DAB:
The principal method is DMB, the technology originally developed in conjunction
with Korea and its mobile phone industries. DMB uses MPEG 4 coding system via
stream mode over DAB.
The other way to deliver video over DAB is via an IP-application in conjunction
with DAB’s Enhanced Packet Mode standard. This is called DAB-IP and is currently
used in the UK by the BT Movio project.
Having a choice of methods is a key advantage for DAB as it offers flexibility
and options for network operators to deploy according to their mobile network
and handset interoperability requirements.
DAB multimedia services will work with both GSM and CDMA networks.
More on international DMB roll-out:
DMB is the first broadcast mobile TV delivery standard to have launched
commercially. In Korea, services are on air, devices are available in shops and
consumers are already signing up by the thousands.
Meanwhile, key trials are taking place in Germany, France, Holland, Norway,
Italy, Spain, and China.
• Germany will lead a major DMB trial in 2006 focused on the World Cup. The Mi
Friends project, as it is called, has received official status as a European
project with a budget of around 18 million euros over the next two years. The Mi
Friends project involves a three month trial in Munich, focused on the World
Cup, and a two year trial in Regensburg, Bodensee and Lake Constance. A separate
commercial trial will also run for two years from a Berlin based L band national
multiplex.
• In France, a six month trial of DMB was launched in Paris in September
following a request to the French regulator, CSA, by digital network provider
VDL. Partnered with VDL in the trial are the main French TV broadcasting group,
TF1, and manufacturers Samsung, LG and Perstel.
• In China, where many DAB digital radios are made, 80 million people in
Guangdong Province can receive DMB services. Trials began in Beijing in 2005
broadcasting two DAB radio services to 12 million people. Six more services are
planned.
More on DAB-IP services roll-out:
• In the UK, the BT Movio pilot project, which uses the DAB-IP platform to
deliver audio, video and data to a mobile receiver, recently concluded. BT
expects to become the first wholesale mobile broadcast entertainment service in
the UK when the service is launched commercially later this year. BT will be
unveiling the first mass production GSM handset with Mobile TV and DAB digital
radio
• Pilot trails of DAB-IP are also slated to commence in China and Taiwan later
this year.
About The World DAB Forum
The World DAB Forum is an international, non-governmental organisation whose
role is to promote the awareness, adoption and implementation of DAB and its
family of standards worldwide. Its members include broadcasters, manufacturers,
network operators and other companies and bodies committed to converting the
technology behind DAB into a commercial marketing success.
www.worlddab.org
