BT & Virgin Trial Mobile TV Service

British Fixed-line carrier BT Group Plc is teaming up with Sir Richard Branson’s mobile phone brand Virgin Mobile to pilot a new live mobile TV service using a digital radio technology.

BT said 1,000 Virgin Mobile customers would get access to Sky Sports News, Sky News, new music channel Blaze, more than 50 digital radio channels and the UK’s first electronic programme guide on a mobile via DAB (Digital Audio Broadcast) technology.

“BT… intends to be Europe’s first commercial mobile entertainment service to deliver broadcast TV and entertainment services direct to DAB-enhanced mobile phones and media players,” says Chris Hutchings, director ventures of BT’s BT Wholesale division.

Will Westley, of BT’s Livetime mobile TV unit, said: “For the first time we have real convergence; you can make calls, listen to digital radio and watch TV, all on one handset.”

Mobile operators including Vodafone Group, O2 and Orange are testing a rival technology called DVB-H, or the Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld standard, to broadcast television channels direct to mobile phones.

Reuters