Nokia hits back at mobile TV allegations

Nokia is adamant that DVB-H is the best technology for mobile TV

Nokia has hit back at claims that it is backing the wrong horse in the standards war for mobile television.

The company has made a commitment to support the DVB-H standard and will not be supporting the rival DAB standard, which looks like being the first to market in the UK.

Nokia's position was described as "ridiculous" yesterday by the director of one of the UK's largest mobile operators.

"We looked at the two technologies years ago and decided to focus on DVB-H because it's the best technology, particularly when it comes to broadcasting multiple channels," Mark Selby, Nokia's vice president of rich media and music, told vnunet.com.

"As for the claim that we are supporting the standard because we build DVB-H infrastructure, that's just wrong. We don't build DVB-H networks. We, on purpose, have nothing to do with it. It's an open third-party market because we believe in open standards."

Selby acknowledged that the spectrum for DVB-H will not be allocated in all parts of the UK before 2012.

But several comments at recent conferences have indicated that this date might well be brought forward, particularly in light of London's successful bid to host the Olympic Games.

Selby also pointed to considerable ongoing investment in DVB-H worldwide. Networks are already up and running in Pittsburgh and New York, and strong interest has been shown in Italy, France, The Netherlands and Northern Germany.

In contrast Selby claimed that some DAB networks are already seeing drop offs in investment as operators gear up for the more advanced DVB-H standard.

Pete Nuthall, an analyst for wireless technologies at Frost & Sullivan, said: "My understanding is that the 2012 date may well be changed.

"O2 has been doing a DVB-H trial in the UK, and there is so much uncertainty that the spectrum may be allocated early. But there is a lot of competition from technologies like high definition television, for example."

Emma Lloyd, managing director of BT Movio, said yesterday that BT is aware of the strengths of DVB-H in broadcasting multiple channels but had made the decision to go with DAB because the network is already in place across the country.

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