Mobile TV is television delivered to your mobile phone. It is currently most popular in Asia, particularly in Korea, Japan and China. It has had false starts in the UK and Germany, being abandoned shortly after launch.
Numbers of mobile TV subscriber are expected to reach nearly half a billion in the next four years, according to analysts at Cantab Wireless. The majority will be in Asia, with Europe and North America catching up from 2010.
But Weijie Yun, president of Telegent Systems and an industry expert, believes mobile TV providers will need to offer free subscriptions to win customers.
Envivio has announced a solution for Apple’s iphone and other major manufacturers are developing solutions for popular smart phones, to increase the mobile TV customer base.
To get really popular, TV capability will have to be available in most standard smart phones. When it is, it’ll be time to get cash for your mobile and upgrade.