Thursday, April 12, 2007 Smart, NBC launch mobile TV
WITH surveys indicating that 16 million Filipino households have TV, two firms plan to market a mobile TV service in the country by midyear.
Currently under a test broadcast, the service will be offered by Nation Broadcasting Corp. (NBC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Media-Quest, and cellular operator Smart Communications Inc.
NBC president and chief executive officer Raymund Miranda said the service will offer a mix of news, entertainment, sports and special channels.
Among the channels that were shown to local reporters during the launch at the Laguna Garden Cafe in Cebu Business Park yesterday were CNN, BBC World, CNBC, Jack TV, Fashion TV, MTV, Channel and Channel V, among others.
Local channels
They are also negotiating with local TV networks ABS-CBN and GMA 7 to broadcast their shows through the mobile phones of Smart subscribers, Miranda said.
Ramon Isberto, Smart Communications public affairs head, said they are still studying how much the service will be but he said it will be “affordable.”
“There will be a scheme when you use it for a couple of days. The consumer will have a wide range of choices,” he said, adding that the service will be available for both postpaid and pre-paid subscribers.
The service will also be available in Nokia N92 and N77 phones and Samsung handsets, which will soon be out in the market.
Prices
These are dual mode handsets, which have separate networks for the TV broadcast and the mobile phone functions.
Smart, he said, is hopeful that like other mobile phone services, the charges for the mobile TV will “go down eventually.”
Miranda said the technology was available since nine years ago, but it was only recently that phone batteries that could allow four to six hours of continuous TV viewing were manufactured. (CYR)
