Qualcomm today announced that it has acquired 40 MHz (1452-1492 MHz) of L-Band radio spectrum recently auctioned by UK communications regulator Ofcom, at a cost of GPB 8,334,000 ($16.3 million).
The company will look at how peer-to-peer networking can be used in mobile networks, how capacity and in-building coverage can be improved, as well as broadcasting, according to Andrew Gilbert, executive vice president at Qualcomm Europe. The most likely scenario is that it will be used for a MediaFlo based mobile TV service, says EE Times.
BSkyB is already a major content provider to UK 3G phones and could adopt the system.
The L-Band spectrum license acquired by Qualcomm covers the entire United Kingdom and is technology neutral, thereby enabling Qualcomm to use the spectrum for innovative technologies, depending on its assessment of market needs in the United Kingdom.
DVB-H got a big boost earlier this year when the European Commission formally adopted DVB-H technology as the standard for mobile television throughout the EU’s 27 member states. European countries are required to encourage the use of DVB-H as the single listed standard; however it’s not a mandated standard. Therefore, competitors like Qualcomm are not precluded from entering the market.
MediaFLO also demonstrated the capability to support International ISDB-T mobile TV standards, favored in Japan, on a multi-mode handset.
DVB-H is the most widely supported format in Europe, with at least 16 trials across the continent. Commercial services are already under way in Italy, with launches planned for later this year in Finland, Austria France and Spain. The format is also backed strongly by Nokia, Philips, Ericsson and Sagem, as well as operators like Vodafone and O2.
Mobile TV has too many standards. U.S. broadcasters are trying to unite around one ATSC standard, while Echostar and ICO are going with DVB-Satellite to Handhelds (DVB-SH). Meanwhile broadband wireless systems have mobile television technology from Nextwave while cellular operators AT&T and Verizon have MediaFLO.
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