Press release: Mobile TV and video services are possible
without 3G and dedicated mobile broadcasting networks
While many mobile network operators (MNOs) are planning
to use a combination of 3G and dedicated mobile broadcasting
networks to deliver mobile TV and video services, they must
not overlook emerging alternatives, according to a new
report, Critical
Ingredients of Mobile TV: femtocells and sideloading,
written by Unwired Insight.
Many MNOs already offer TV and video services over their 3G networks.
Concerns over capacity and quality of service are driving MNOs to combine 3G
networks with dedicated mobile broadcasting networks (such as DVB-H and
MediaFLO). However, these are not the only ways of delivering mobile TV
content. Indoor wireless systems (such as femtocells and WLAN) and
sideloading (where content is transferred from a PC or other device to
memory in a mobile handset) are important delivery mechanisms with valuable
benefits.
"iPhone users can already watch a range of TV content without the need
for 3G or mobile broadcasting capability, using sideloading and WLAN
streaming," says Dr Alastair Brydon, co-author of the report.
Key findings of the new report include:
- Trials of DVB-H services have shown significant indoor usage of
mobile TV services, with 36-50% of participants using these services
mainly at home. Indoor systems such as femtocells could successfully
carry this traffic, potentially with higher quality than is achievable
with outdoor 3G and broadcasting networks.
- Sideloading can be a highly effective way of delivering content that
is not time critical, such as pre-recorded TV programmes (for example
soap operas, dramas, situation comedies and documentaries) and movies.
Compared to other mobile TV distribution methods, sideloading can
provide guaranteed reliability in any location, with very high quality.
For example, video content available on iTunes for Apple iPods and
iPhones is encoded at a data rate of over 1Mbit/s, compared with
128kbit/s for some 3G services.
- MNOs that are unable to deploy broadcasting networks could
potentially deliver a compelling proposition without filling up the
capacity of their 3G networks. If 75% of mobile TV content was delivered
using sideloading and 60% of streamed content was consumed indoors, then
3G networks would need to carry just 10% of total mobile TV traffic.
Critical Ingredients of Mobile
TV: femtocells and sideloading, considers the role of indoor wireless
systems and sideloading alongside 3G macrocells (including HSPA, HSPA+ and
LTE) and broadcasting networks (such as DVB-H and MediaFLO). The report
analyses the capabilities and limitations of each technology, and maps these
against the factors that will influence customer choices on mobile TV
services. Using modelling of typical 3G networks and service mixes, the
report assesses which technologies are required to deliver a compelling
service proposition and which may be unnecessary. It also considers how
operators can best take advantage of the range of different mobile TV
delivery mechanisms, some of which may not be in their direct control.