Mobile TV to net 500m subscribers by 2011 - Computing
Mobile TV to net 500m subscribers by 2011
I want my mobile TV
Robert Jaques, vnunet.com, 21 Jun 2006
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Mobile TV uptake is set to enjoy stellar growth over the next six years as subscriber numbers jump tenfold
The fledgling market for mobile television is beginning to build significant momentum
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Mobile TV uptake is set to enjoy stellar growth over the next six years as subscriber numbers jump tenfold, market watchers predicted today.
ABI Research said that the technology will be used by 6.4 million users at the end of 2005, but will have some 514 million subscribers worldwide by 2011.
The fledgling market for mobile television is beginning to build significant momentum, according to the ABI report, which expects advertising-supported broadcast services to propel additional growth over the next few years.
"Broadcast will be the preferred method of access to mobile video for most people," said ABI principal analyst Ken Hyers.
"Unicast will remain part of the mix for customers who want to access video-on-demand, but the majority of subscription services will be for broadcast content, and Unicast-only subscriptions will not be a significant part of the market."
The study noted that South Korea and Japan are the early adopters, but that the European and North American markets are not far behind.
Three contenders plan to introduce mobile video broadcast services in the US over the next 12 to 18 months.
Qualcomm plans to be first off the mark with its MediaFLO technology, having announced its intention to launch services in the fourth quarter of 2006. Aloha Partners' Hiwire and Crown Castle's Modeo will follow suit in 2007.
But Hyers cautioned: "Most markets will not be able to support more than two broadcast networks due to the high cost of building them, and the fact that most markets only have three or four major mobile operators selling wireless services to subscribers."