With Mobile TV Projected to Take Off, are Service Providers Ready?
An assessment of key success variables to harvest impending demand By H. Mittermayr Service providers harboring any doubts about the future of mobile TV should take a hard and sober look at current forecasts. The numbers cited by multiple sources make it clear that mobile TV is not only poised for rapid growth, but also for global penetration. This creates an entirely new set of challenges and opportunities for service providers around the world. The implications for infrastructure investment, new business model development and strategic planning are significant. Consider the following: • Analysts at IMS Research forecast that nearly 500 million people will be watching TV on cellular phones by the end of 2011. This growth, say the researchers, is driven primarily by the adoption of broadcast-based services; mobile digital TV will experience 50% year-on-year growth through 2010.1 • ABI Research is even more upbeat about the future of mobile TV. Analysts there expect mobile video service
