Hong Kong’s PCCW To Launch Live TV on 3G; New CMB Technology

Just when you thought things couldn’t get more confusing in mobile TV standards…Hong Kong-based broadband/IPTV pioneer PCCW plans to launch a mobile TV network on 3G within a month (as a trial), and is the first to use a new delivery standard, Cell Multimedia Broadcast… CMB technology reached more people simultaneously than other current 3G technologies, the company said.
CMB technology is owned by Chinese telecom vendor Huawei Technologies…Huawei said it is in talks with other European and Asian mobile operators. PCCW CFO Alex Arena said that because CMB requires only a network upgrade, it would cost less to use than DVB-H, which needs a completely new slice of spectrum.
Shanghai Daily: Arena said that with the technology, up to 250 users can simultaneously tune in to TV broadcasts within an area covered by one base station, compared to a maximum of 10 users with technologies such as streaming.
Release: Deployment will be completed by end-June, making mobile TV available to all 110,000 users on PCCW mobile’s 3G trial. Initial program offers include now TV’s Cantonese-language Business News Channel and other news and sports content. Sports content from ESPN STAR Sports will be available in two weeks time. Sports event content from Sportev, including action, from next season’s Barclays English Premier League, will be available when the football season begins in August.

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