Incoming Modeo President Michael Ramke (right) has confirmed that the company still plans to launch a mobile TV service in New York City, reports PhoneScoop. However instead of launching by the end of this year as planned, the launch has been delayed until the first quarter of next year.

The company will sell an unlocked Windows Mobile Smartphone from HTC which subscribers can use to access the Modeo TV network in addition to T-Mobile or Cingular’s network. Although the company will only offer the phone to a select group of subscribers, Modeo is calling the launch a commercial scale launch, not a trial.

The company has been unable to find a carrier partner for its DVB-H network and has recently seen a management shakeup due, in part, to this disappointment. Verizon has committed to Qualcomm’s MediaFlo and Sprint and T-Mobile are currently running trials with the service.

Modeo uses a dedicated 6 Mhz wide channel at 1.675 GHz. Modeo’s main mobile video rivals include MediaFLO and HiWire using 700 Mhz channels. Those lower frequencies should enable much better range and penetration. MediaFLO USA plans to go live in 20 to 30 markets in the first quarter and already has live networks covering entire metropolitan areas from Las Vegas to Chicago.

Qualcomm’s MediaFLO uses a proprietary (FLO) system running over their dedicated channel (UHF channel 55), while Aloha Partner’s HiWire intends to use the DVB-H mobile tv standard on two 6 Mhz wide channels, UHF channel 54 and 59, which they bought at the FCC’s lower 700 MHz auction nearly 5 years ago (for a relative song).

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Posted by Sam Churchill on Friday, December 15th, 2006 at 11:13 am.