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Alcatel touts alternative approach for mobile TV(Total Telecom Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)The perceived success of mobile TV services currently available on existing 3G networks and the thorny issues surrounding spectrum availability for new broadcast solutions have prompted some vendors to look for alternative approaches. In January mobile broadband specialist IPWireless proposed making use of currently dormant TDD spectrum for the deployment of the Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Standard (MBMS) for mobile TV services. Alcatel, meanwhile, has been looking into ways of using one of the main standards being proposed for mobile TV - DVB-H - but deploying it in a completely different spectrum band and adding a satellite element. The French vendor's proposal is to provide DVB-H services in the 2.2-gigahertz or "S" band currently reserved for mobile satellite services across the globe. In addition, the vendor's solution is a hybrid approach incorporating a satellite for rural coverage and a terrestrial repeater network for urban services. According to Olivier Coste, president of Alcatel's mobile broadcast division, the vendor initiated the development last autumn based on the fact that 3G mobile TV services have been more successful than expected, particularly in France. But 3G or unicast networks will not be able to sustain mass-market take-up of the services, meaning that a broadcast solution will be required at some point. Broadcast solutions such as DVB-H and Qualcomm's MediaFLO will require spectrum in the UHF band to be made available. But several countries in Europe such as the U.K., France and Germany continue to face considerable difficulties in freeing up spectrum in this band. "The players had expected UHF to be made available sooner," Coste told Total Telecom. "It's a difficult political decision to switch off UHF", since the government would first have to ensure that all its citizens had moved over to digital TV, for example. MBMS on traditional FDD 3G networks, which has the backing of Ericsson, would not require additional spectrum. But the difficulty with this solution is that mobile operators would have to allocate part of their bandwidth solely for mobile TV. "We decided to promote a solution in different spectrum but using similar technology to DVB-H," Coste said. In Alcatel's view, mobile TV has huge potential and is set to become a mass-market service. "We expect mobile TV to generate 10 billion euros a year globally by 2010," commented Coste. But he warns that this potential will be realised only if certain conditions are met. For example the services should be offered on a flat-fee basis, with E10 per month seen as a realistic monthly fee; coverage has to be unlimited to ensure services are available anywhere; the network should be able to support an unlimited number of viewers; and there should be a wide choice of channels. According to Coste, 15-20 channels would serve around 80% of the market and could be delivered over the broadcast networks. But he sees a complementary role for unicast networks, which could be used to deliver more specialist channels to viewers. In his view, 50-100 channels should be available in total. "The ability to combine unicast and broadcast is crucial," he added. Coste commented that it is difficult to say as yet who will build the broadcast networks. He said both mobile operators and broadcasters have interest in gaining access to the spectrum. He also said he sees the potential for up to two broadcast layers to exist in individual markets. "The issue is how this game will stabilise," he said. Alcatel's plan is to remove the uncertainty surrounding the availability of UHF spectrum by adding in the option of using 2.2 GHz. Coste said this spectrum is not currently used at all in Europe, although it is now being used for satellite services in the U.S. In addition, Coste said a major advantage of 2.2-GHz is that it is adjacent to the spectrum used for 3G networks. He said this would allow the reuse of 3G base stations and antennas, while 2.2-GHz would also allow the production of small handsets as they would not require large aerials. Alcatel is also developing a chipset that will support both UHF and the S-band, so one terminal could receive services in both bands. Coste said the company is working with two chipset manufacturers, one of which is Dipcom. He added that talks are also ongoing with the DVB Forum about evolving the DVB-H standard for use in the S-band. Of course some changes to the regulatory framework will be required to enable the utilisation of the S-band for mobile broadcast. Coste said the matter is being discussed within CEPT (European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations) and a European framework is expected to be in place in Q2 this year. The next step would be for national regulators to issue licences to operators. Coste would not comment on which mobile operators have so far shown interest in the solution. He said handset manufacturer Sagem has already said it will develop a handset that will support DVB-H in both the UHF and S-band spectrum. "We are in active talks with all terminal vendors," said Coste. Alcatel's timeframe is to have a terrestrial repeater network ready for commercial deployment by 2007. A new satellite to support rural services will need to be launched and is expected to be in place in 2008/2009. "We are in discussions with satellite operators," said Coste. Alcatel is the latest vendor to add another dimension to the mobile TV debate and analysts are currently waiting to see and hear more about the technology. Several questions still need to be answered, commented Dr Alastair Brydon, CEO of analyst and research company Sound Partners. For example, what is the timeframe for the standardisation process? How will the equipment integrate with existing 3G equipment from Nokia, Ericsson and others? Are the large handset vendors interested? Brydon added that the proposal "looks similar to what is happening in Korea", where terrestrial and satellite versions of DMB-based mobile TV services have been launched. Coste commented that the situation in Korea "is very strange" because one solution is pay-TV and the other is free to air. "I doubt it can be stable," he said, noting that Alcatel supports the business model of a monthly flat-rate fee for mass-market mobile TV. |