SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The number of mobile TV subscribers will balloon to 102 million worldwide by the end of 2010, up from 3.4 million this year, according to a report by technology researcher In-Stat.
The report, Mobile TV Broadcasting Now Out of the Gate, addresses the pros and cons of using cellular networks to deliver TV content simultaneously (which requires much greater bandwidth than is currently available) versus using mobile TV broadcast networks.
"The greatest challenge for mobile TV broadcast operators is to acquire the spectrum necessary to offer services," says Michelle Abraham, In-Stat analyst. "Spectrum availability may determine which of four standards is chosen, and also impacts the business case for the deployment of a network."
Mobi TV, only a year old, is poised to become as ubiquitous as cell phones themselves. Mobile carriers, mobile TV network operators, and content providers will soon be testing business models to determine what mobile phone subscribers are willing to pay to watch and what advertisers are willing to pay to reach them, In-Stat says.
