TORONTO – Rogers and Bell may have had the press releases out first this year, but Telus Mobility is the first to market with mobile TV – video to cell phones.
Telus Mobility today launched Telus mobile TV, offering clients across Canada real-time access to live television programming including news, weather and shopping channels on their wireless phones.
Both Rogers and Bell made announcements earlier this year that the service was coming soon (those releases anticipated the service would be in the market by now from both companies), powered by MobiTV, but both companies say technical issues has led to delays.
Telus mobile TV is powered by MobiTV, too, (which also powers Sprint’s wireless TV in the States). The platform operates on Telus Mobility’s national 1X data network, which offers coverage for more than 90% of the Canadian population.
"Telus mobile TV puts real-time television programming directly into the hands of clients, whenever and wherever they might want to be entertained or informed," said Robert Blumenthal, Telus Mobility’s vice-president of products and services.
Costing just $15 per month for unlimited viewing, Telus mobile TV lets clients watch live, real-time programming on seven channels: CBC Newsworld, Fox News, G4 Tech TV, Le Reseau de l’information (RDI), MeteoMedia, The Shopping Channel and The Weather Network. Additional channels, including business news, sports, entertainment and music content, will be available soon, says the company.
As reported by www.cartt.ca a couple of times, it also remains to be seen how such services will be regulated by the CRTC. Which could also be part of the reason why only one American service is being offered alongside six Canadian ones.
Clients can subscribe to Telus mobile TV directly from their wireless phones using the pre-loaded Wireless Web service. After downloading the service, Telus mobile TV will be accessible from the phone’s menu at all times.
Telus mobile TV is initially available on the Motorola V710 (pictured above), a multimedia flip phone equipped with a large, high-resolution colour screen, a 1.3 Megapixel camera, video capture and playback, an integrated MP3 player, optional expandable memory cards, and Bluetooth support for wireless headsets, car kits and data accessories that let users link with personal computers to synchronize contact lists and calendars.
The Motorola V710 is available from Telus Mobility across Canada for as little as $199.99 on a three-year contract or $349.99 without a contract. Additional Telus Mobility phones will offer Telus mobile TV service in the near future.
