As the world becomes mobile, every sector of the tech world is going to have to adapt. Broadcast TV is one of those sectors, which is why the testing of an Integrated Mobile Broadcast technology is big news.
The Future Is Mobile
There’s a definite feeling that the future is mobile. Desktops have had their day, and even bulky laptops and netbooks are slowly going out of fashion. The reason for this change? Mobile devices.
Gone are the days when a mobile phone could only be used to call people, and to send and receive text messages. Now, smartphones are becoming increasingly complex and able to multitask.
Then there are tablets such as the Apple iPad which are able to stream media content such as music and video via the Web.
Integrated Mobile Broadcast Technology
The new Integrated Mobile Broadcast (IMB) technology has just been approved by the GSMA. And Orange, Vodafone, and O2, the three biggest mobile operators in the U.K., have unveiled plans to test it out in London and Slough starting in October.
The trio want to use IMB to make it possible for mobile phone owners to watch broadcast TV channels via 3G but without placing heavy loads on the networks. IMB could be key to making this possible if its paired with the Time Division Duplex (TDD).
The TDD is part of the 3G licenses already owned and operated by the three companies. However, it hasn’t yet been used to any great extent due to a lack of technology able to exploit it. TDD is available to 150 companies in 60 countries, with 500 million potential mobile TV subscribers.
Vodafone Group head of technology, research, and development Luke Ibbetson told The Guardian:
“With the strong growth of data traffic on our 3G networks and the mobile industry’s recent support of this high performance broadcast technology, the time is right to move forward with an IMB initiative. By joining our peers in this UK pilot, we expect to be able to explore the potential of delivering broadcast services across available 3G spectrum.”
This could, if the results prove promising, mean better picture quality for TV streaming and more channels on mobile devices than is currently possible. When this will become commercially available isn’t yet known, but it could begin to be built into mobile devices soon.
Conclusions
Mobile devices are becoming the standard way we access the Internet and media content. And watching TV is going to be a big part of that new world. This new technology should help make the live streaming of broadcast TV much easier.
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