Mobile TV Standard TDtv: A Cheaper Quicker Alternative To DVB-H?

European telecoms commissioner Vivian Reding has been pushing hard for DVB-H as the EU standard for mobile TV, but while it may be the officially backed standard, it doesn't actually preclude EU states from pursuing other technologies. Case in point: in the UK, Orange and T-Mobile are backing TDtv and this summer will start a trial to offer 24 television channels to several thousand people in West London.

TheTimes.co.uk has an article noting that the summer promises to give mobile TV a huge boost, what with all of the sporting events going on, such as Euro 2008, the Olympics and Wimbledon. British operators are eager to use TDtv, since all of them except Vodafone (NYSE: VOD), were actually given TDD spectrum when they bought their 3G licenses in 2000 for a collective £22.5 billion. Moreover, operators can use their existing infratructure with TDD. But DVB-H has been used throughout Europa and Asia, and is proven commercially with at least two years headstart on TDtv. Plus TDtv isn't supported by that many handsets and isn't great passing through thick walls. Still, some analysts have argued that TDtv offers a cheaper way into mobile TV services, especially at a time where many operators are still struggling to get their mobile TV services to pay.

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