Cingular Wireless L.L.C. plans to launch additional mobile TV services later this year using a platform from RealNetworks Inc. The supplier said its new Helix OnlineTV solution will enable Cingular to offer its third-generation subscribers personal interactive TV on their mobile devices.
RealNetworks’ deal with Cingular entails application development for packaging mobile content, hosting the mobile video service and delivering the streaming content to a variety of new handsets for Cingular’s planned UMTS/HSDPA network.
Cingular currently offers mobile TV services from MobiTV on the network it acquired from AT&T Wireless Services Inc. last year. MobiTV announced earlier this week it crossed the 500,000 subscriber mark.
Cingular rivals Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp. both offer mobile TV services on their high-speed 1x EV-DO networks.
“As we roll out our high-speed UMTS/HSDPA network, we’ll be able to deliver a host of compelling new mobile multimedia services to consumers–like high-quality steaming video and audio,” said Jim Ryan, vice president of data services for Cingular. “The key toward making these new services appealing to customers is providing simple and fast access to the specific content that satisfies their individual interests. RealNetworks’ expertise in streaming audio and video, along with the flexibility of their Helix OnlineTV platform will help enable Cingular to give our customers the fastest access possible to the audio and video content they care most about.”
RealNetworks said its Helix OnlineTV was designed for mobile and broadband providers as an end-to-end solution for next-generation video services. RealNetworks said it provides 2 million subscribers with mobile content including, streaming radio and video, ringtones and mobile games, through its digital media properties.
“Cingular’s confidence in Real to deliver our full range of mobile solutions to their customers is validation of the advanced capabilities of our mobile technology in supporting today’s emerging multimedia market.” said John Giamatteo, executive vice president of Worldwide Business Products and International Operations for RealNetworks.
In other wireless TV news this week, Qualcomm Inc. demonstrated its Forward Link Only technology for the first time live at the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment show in San Francisco.
Qualcomm said the demonstration featured over-the-air delivery and viewing of multiple channels of wireless multimedia content, both streaming video and multicast packet data on a form factor accurate handset. The company said FLO technology complements CDMA2000 1X, 1xEV-DO and W-CDMA cellular network data and voice services.
In addition, Intel Corp. demonstrated multichannel TV broadcast on Windows-based mobile devices equipped with add-on DiBcom DVB-H receivers, what it called a first in the United States. The demonstration included live, brand-name TV services, digital music, and a feature-length movie, beamed from terrestrial transmitters using the Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld protocol to a personal digital assistant and a wireless phone. Penthera Technologies Inc.’s Athena-TV software system provided the user interface, and Crown Castle International Corp. provided the broadcast network infrastructure.
