South Korean Carriers To Offer Terrestrial Mobile TV

A terrestrial broadcasting service was launched in South Korea at the beginning of this month but nothing has really come of it because no carriers sell handsets that can pick up the signal.
That could be changing, with KTF and LG Telecom (the second and third largest operators in South Korea) entering “final negotiations with the so-called land-based Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) service operators, mostly major broadcasting companies such as KBS and MBC, to retail the handsets capable of allowing customers to watch the crystal-clear TV programs on their mobile phones”.
The T-DMB project is apparently a favorite of the Sth Korean Government in its bid to promote growth in the nations IT industry, and last week it warned that carriers could be punished for collusion if they continue to refuse to sell handsets for the land-based DMB service.
The big issue is that the service will be free, which has to be annoying for SK Telecom which is charging 15,000 won ($14.70) per month for its satellite service, which some analysts say is in doubt now that the government is backing the terrestrial service…
Related stories:
KBS To Start Mobile TV In Korea
South Korea’s IT Chief Sees Rosy Future For DMB
DMB Handsets To Be “As Widespread As Camera Phones”

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