In a recent announcement, Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs & Communications (MIC) said that it recognizes Qualcomm's MediaFLO technology as one of two official technologies for Japan's nationwide mobile multimedia broadcasting services. This means that MediaFLO-enabled mobile TV services can be deployed in Japan when the spectrum becomes available, in 2011. The other technology recognized by the MIC for nationwide mobile multimedia broadcasting services is ISDB-Tmm, which has evolved from ISDB-T, Japan's digital TV (DTV) standard.
With the increasing adoption rate, combined
with advances in wireless and battery technologies, mobile devices are
now capable of offering a wider range of services to end users. This
has helped to create a new market opportunity: the mobile infotainment
platform, encompassing elements/functions such as entertainment,
advertising, commerce and information. This mobile media platform,
according to Qualcomm, is expected to be the next revenue driver for
the industry.
"Working closely with local companies, we have taken a significant step toward expanding the diversity of broadcast-quality mobile content and value-added mobile services available to Japanese consumers," said Neville Meijers, senior vice president and general manager, FLO International.
According to Meijers, the MediaFLO platform offers a rich user experience, high channel capacity and an open services layer to support a wide range of mobile broadcast services, making it an ideal platform to complement 3G services and Japan's ISDB-T standard for free mobile TV programming.
This latest MIC announcement is the result of the ongoing progress made by Qualcomm and Japan's mobile TV operators, and is expected to pave the way for the commercialization of mobile TV services in Japan. Last year, the MIC approved two MediaFLO mobile TV trials in the VHF and UHF spectrum bands, led by MediaFLO Japan Planning Inc (MJP) - a joint venture set up by Qualcomm and KDDI - in Okinawa Prefecture, and by Media Scope Inc in Shimane Prefecture.
Both trials successfully demonstrated the technical and business advantages the MediaFLO platform is capable of providing, clearing the way for commercial deployment.
The Okinawa trial marked the first time that MediaFLO technology was trialed using the VHF spectrum. Toyota Motor Corp joined the MJP trial to test vehicular reception of MediaFLO signals on highways and city streets, and achieved positive performance results. The second phase of the Okinawa trial began in November using a mix of short- and long-format video content, music, clip-casting media and data-casting applications.
The ongoing Shimane trial employs a variety of MediaFLO services including linear mobile TV and - for the first time - broadcast delivery of clip-casting media to large digital signage made by Samsung Japan. The trial illustrates how MediaFLO technology can be utilized for broadcast delivery of advertising, news and information services to the public at large.
MediaFLO is a broadcast mobile TV platform for the delivery of high-quality entertainment and information, including streaming video and audio, clip-casting media, IP data-casting and interactive services. Designed to leverage the unique nature of the mobile environment, the MediaFLO platform specifically brings broadcast quality video to mobile efficiently and cost-effectively. It is an open environment that encourages integration with the mobile TV ecosystem, providing greater opportunities to capitalize on the benefits of the MediaFLO system.
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