March 20, 2008- The European Commission has just established a new standard for Europeans handhelds. On Monday, they made mobile TV technology (DVB-H) Digital Video Broadcasting the official EU standard. Now mobile phone manufacturers and broadcasters willhave to hurry to keep up with the new demand. The commission established the new standard in the hopes that this would create a pan-European mobile TV market. However, the rush for operators and broadcasters will be to nail down the details quickly, such as interoperability issues and intellectual property rights.

This new change for the European cell phone market will influence similar changes to when the EU set the GSM standard for mobile phones. This change that took place in the early 1990s set the stage for Europe to become the leader in the world wide cellular phone market. So what can the government do to help? By attributing licenses, the EU government can help the promotion of the new standard.

Along with establishment of the DVB-H standard, theEU commission has also asked the EU government to make spectrum available for broadcasting via mobile phones as soon as possible. This will of course include the UHF band once it becomes available for use by handset users. Also, since the DVB-H standard is backed by several big name handheld manufacturers, such as Nokia, Motorola, Philips, Sagem, Sony Ericsson and Samsung, the technology should really take off well. DVB-H is currently the most common mobile TV in Europe and, hopefully, we will be seeing more of it in the western hemisphere very soon!

by Jeanna Lee

Source: Hollywoodreporter.com