Okay, so honestly, I did not pay much attention to IPWireless’ pending move into the mobile television business with its TDtv. TDtv operates in the universal unpaired 3G spectrum bands that are available across Europe and Asia at 1900MHz and 2010MHz. With Nokia and Qualcomm squaring off against each other, I didn’t think anyone else had a chance in the TV-on-cellphones business. So when IP Wireless got Sprint to trial its television-on-mobile technology, I thought to myself, well it is just a trial, and big phone companies do trials all the time.
Then last week Orange of France decided that it will also trial TDtv as well. The trial will begin in mid-2006 in Orange’s unpaired 3G spectrum in the UK. (IPWireless recently teamed up with MobiTV and Vidiator, a mobile multimedia streaming company.) Given all these developments, now I find it hard to ignore this company, and TDtv. Sure there are challenges, like building an entire ecosystem around TDtv, and Qualcomm is a fearsome competitor. Still, I will be watching (and hopefully reporting) them with interest.
3 comments so far
1:09 PM PT
I had a conversation with some Qualcomm guys about something similar and pointed out to them that their so-called rival is using a CDMA-based technology for which they get royalties — so they shouldn’t be so quick to cut off their nose to spite their face.
2:20 PM PT
IPWireless is an innovative interesting company worth keeping an eye on. Their technology brillance is unmatched in the wireless world, Qualcomm and Intel not-with-standing. For starters, just ask 20,000 delighted users in New Zealand.
8:32 PM PT
IP Wireless is on a roll. Their technology has the huge advantage of being compliant with the technology restrictions that have been imposed by national telecom regulators in the crazy European UMTS spectrum auctions of 2000.
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