Verizon Goes with FLO
3rd Dec 2005, 13:09 GMT
Qualcomm and Verizon Wireless today announced that Qualcomm and its subsidiary MediaFLO USA, are working with Verizon Wireless to bring its customers real-time mobile video over the MediaFLO multicasting network in the United States. Qualcomm and Verizon Wireless expect to launch mobile TV services over the MediaFLO network in approximately half of the markets already covered by Verizons' EV-DO-based broadband network. Verizon Wireless will be the first U.S. wireless service provider to offer MediaFLO when the network is commercially available in 2006. Following the initial launch, Qualcomm and MediaFLO USA Inc. will continue to expand the MediaFLO network throughout other markets that cover the Verizon Wireless' VCAST and BroadbandAccess service areas. Qualcomm expects to launch its U.S. network, MediaFLO Technology in the 700 Mhz band, by October of next year. They demoed the first live, over-the-air demonstration of FLO (Forward Link Only), earlier this year. Qualcomm claims FLO features include: Support for at least 20 streaming channels of QVGA (240x320 pixels) quality video at 30 frames per second, 10 stereo audio channels (HE AAC+ parametric stereo) and more than 800 minutes of stored, short-format video clips called Clipcasting(TM) Low power consumption, 4 hours of viewing time on a standard 850 mAh battery, without unacceptable degradation to talk or standby time An average channel switching time of 1.5 seconds without buffering or progress bars MediaFLO and DVB-H are really mini television stations. Instead of trying to stuff video onto a cellular channel like MobiTV, GoTV and Verizon's VCast, these new mobile video services use standalone wireless networks. MediaFLO operates at 700 Mhz (channel 55), and Crown's DVB-H operates at 1.6 Ghz. They can broadcast (multicast) to millions, simultaneously. That frees up the cellular channels for voice and data and enables better video and faster datacasting. "MediaFLO USA's network will allow us to provide compelling real-time multimedia services to wireless customers, complementing our industry-leading wireless voice and data services - including our successful VCAST broadband multimedia service," said John Stratton, vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. Qualcomm's MediaFLO can fit 20 channels while DVB-H can fit only nine over a 6 MHz channel, say Qualcomm's technical white papers. DVB-H proponents dispute those exact numbers, saying that many factors determine how many video channels can be shoved into a particular swathe of spectrum. Qualcomm's service may have an inherent coverage advantage using 700 Mhz at 716 MHz-722 MHz (UHF channel 55). Fewer transmitters (perhaps 3 in metro areas) may be required. Qualcomm's disadvantage is the availability of the tv spectrum and a larger antenna. Crown Castle's nationwide DVB-H service in the L band (1670 MHz to 1675 MHz) has the same bandwidth (6Mhz). MediaFLO is a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm, offering interactive wireless multimedia services to consumers in cooperation with U.S. wireless operators. The nationwide network, based on Qualcomm's FLO technology, will deliver multimedia content to mobile devices in the 700 MHz spectrum for which Qualcomm holds licenses with a nationwide footprint. Samsung has joined the FLO Forum, Qualcomm's 700Mhz mobile video network and Sprint may also climb on board. In the United States, competitor Crown Castle Mobile Media will use AMC-9, a satellite at 83° west, for the backbone of their DVB-H mobile television system. It will deliver Windows Media content to a variety of mobile devices. Crown said they planned to offer commercial deployment by the end of 2005. Thales will provide satellite and GPS receivers, while Axcera will provide Single Frequency Network-compatible DVB-H transmitters including their Axcera's Innovator LX Series. Texas Instruments has a DVB-H Hollywoood chip that will be available in 2006. Their new OMAP processor supports DVD resolution up to 30 (fps) for MPEG4 and WindowsMedia 9 and VGA resolution at 30-fps for H.264 and RealVideo 10. Nokia's $360 770 webtablet (below) runs Linux and uses a 250-MHz TI OMAP 1710 processor with 64MB of RAM and a 4" screen. No DVB-H video - yet. TI's new OMAP 2430 processor would boost its speed. Nokia’s new N-Series media convergence phones, the N71, N80, and the N92 have new multimedia capabilities. Nokia likes mobile television delivered OTA via the DVB-H standard. Analysts' opinions on mobile TV have been mixed. A report from Entertainment Media Research, commissioned by legal firm Olswang, has found that 70 per cent of consumers have no interest in watching TV on their mobile phones, citing poor quality and high prices. Sprint became the first wireless carrier to offer MobiTV and is now available on their EV-DO network. The $10-a-month service, now also offered by Cingular, has attracted 500,000 subscribers. Cingular has adopted Real's solution, Helix OnlineTV, enabling providers to offer personal interactive TV over handsets or PCs. which should make it more competitive with Verizon's V-Cast, a similar (but not live) mobile tv service for cell phones. How is this going to shake out? Verizon and Sprint will go with the FLO. Cingular will use DVB-H. Local television broadcasters, with brain-dead ATSC, will be left behind. No surprises there. XM Buying 2.3GHz could be the darkhorse candidate. Those 2.3 GHz satellite "repeaters" could carry multimedia as well as satellite radio, especially if XM gets control of the WCS broadband wireless band and can use it for their own purposes. Mobile television (and wireless podcasting) may be the newspaper industry's best shot to bury broadcast television. Forever. Related DailyWireless stories include; Sprint: Go with the FLO?, Verizon Takes DVB-H Crown?, T/W, Cingular: On Demand, DVB-H Headend Software, Intel On DVB-H, U.S. Gets MobileTV via DVB-H, The 700 Mhz Club, 700 Mhz Worth $28B, The 700 Mhz FCC Auction, Global Mobile Television, TiVo on a Stick, Clear Channel Podcasting, Multicasting the Olympics, WiMax Handsets, Laptop Television, Sirius Portable Radio, U.S. Broadband Policy?, XM Buys 2.3GHz, Sprint Gets Sirius, MPEG-4: Satellite, Cable & Wireless, Satellite TV on Cell Phone?, Sprint Bundles EchoStar, Satellite WiFi, DirecWay Modem Shares Access, Satphones Get Giant Antennas, U.S. Cellsats and FCC Approves Big Mobile Sat.
Verizon Goes with FLO related news:
- Qualcomm, Verizon tie-up for mobile TV services — Digital Media Europe - digital media news from across Europe
- FLO Forum Improving FLO Specifications — voip
- Cablevision: Verizon Redlining — Broadbandreports.com
- Qualcomm and Verizon Wireless Form Live Mobile TV Pact — Mobiledia: Cell Phone News
- Verizon Streams TV To Qualcomm Phones — socalTECH.com - Southern California High Tech News
- TV Via Mobile Phone Evolves — Broadbandreports.com
- QUALCOMM and Verizon Wireless work together to deliver MediaFLO to Verizon Customers — MobileWhack.com
- Verizon Goes with FLO — Daily Wireless
- Verizon Wireless to offer Qualcomm MediaFLO video in 2006 — Telecompaper Headlines
- Qualcomm Teams With Verizon Wireless: TV Service to Launch Next Year — RedOrbit News - Technology