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Samsung Joins Nokia to Promote Open Standards in Mobile TV

Rivals Nokia and Samsung have agreed to work together to promote open standards in mobile television, based on DVB-H (digital video broadcast - handheld) technology, according to Reuters (via America’s Network).

The companies believe that the adoption of mobile TV has been held back because of half a dozen competing technologies, such as DMB and MediaFlo, which have gained ground over DVB-H networks. Samsung and Nokia plan to make their DVB-H mobiles work with the same standards as the Nokia network services system. They would work on using the OMA BCAST standard for mobile operators.
Last year, Nokia announced the formation of a mobile TV alliance for this purpose. Texas Instruments and Crown Castle International, which is building a DVB-H network in the U.S., were said to be members.

Qualcomm’s MediaFlo is also intended to enable mobile carriers to provide video without overloading wireless networks.

DVB-H can transfer as many as 50 television channels, at low cost and across a single network, writes Stevie Smith of Tech Monsters & Critics. “The forming of DVB-H interoperability between Nokia and Samsung, and the influence of an increasing spread of mobile TV services, should usher in wide-ranging opportunities for many market players, such as content and broadcast companies, mobile service providers, infrastructure and handset manufacturers, and technology providers,” Smith writes.

Nokia and Samsung’s announcement follows an announcement that an Open Mobile Video Coalition had been formed by nine of the largest U.S. broadcasters to help speed the development of mobile video broadcast television.