Blame the parents

Towards the end of last month, the population of Baghdad woke to find all the city’s billboards proclaiming the launch of a DVB-H mobile TV service.

The Mobision service marks the first commercial roll-out of the technology in the region.

The speed at which the network has been constructed and the service developed has put shame to similar efforts elsewhere in the Middle East and could have some of the major telcos in the wondering what they are doing wrong.

The UAE conducted its DVB-H trial in September 2007, however it appears that the Emirates are no closer to benefitting from a mobile broadcast service. In fact since the trial, du has expanded its 3G-based video services.

Meanwhile, Qtel’s own service – which was prematurely labelled the region’s first DVB-H offering – is yet to go to air and is now six months overdue.

The relative success of these projects could lie in their respective origins. In Qatar and the UAE, telcos have taken the lead and initiated the development of DVB-H-based services.

In Iraq, the project has been spurred along by Mobision, whose origins lie within Iraqi broadcaster Al Sumaria. Is it merely a coincidence that of the three, it is the project lead from within the broadcast industry rather than by a telco, which has gone to air first?

DVB-H services may be delivered to a mobile device, but the underlying technology is borne of the broadcasting world. It is unrealistic for broadcasters to think they can pursue DVB-H services alone. It is logical for mobile TV to be part of the telcos’ bundles and there are few broadcasters that could finance the infrastructure requirements independent of a telecoms partner.

Perhaps the broadcasters have more to offer the telcos than content.

John Parnell is the deputy editor of Digital Broadcast.

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