Mobile TV kick-off threatened

Ben Kelly

Ben Kelly is a columnist at MyBroadband, and writes about basically anything in the tech world which he finds interesting. He is also a...

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THE ERA OF MOBILE television has been on the horizon for a number of years. As early as 2005, pay-TV operator MultiChoice had tested mobile TV in conjunction with South Africa’s cellular operators, allowing trialists to watch events such as the 2006 Football World Cup, music and even full-length movies on special cellphones. However, it hasn’t been able to launch a commercial service because the Department of Communications has yet to issue a policy document that lays out the regulation of both mobile broadcasting and digital terrestrial TV.

Earlier this month, Communications Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri told a media briefing that the policy document would be issued next month. However, Arthur Goldstuck – MD of SA research house World Wide Worx – says it’s unlikely any policy document will be released in June. “If it’s released it will be a stopgap document at best. The crisis of leadership in ICT and broadcasting policy is coming to a head now and it’s extremely unlikely that we’ll suddenly see policymakers rediscover their decision-making abilities,” Goldstuck says.

But further delays will, says MultiChoice CEO Nolo Letele, jeopardise the plans that it has for rolling out mobile TV services. He says if MultiChoice isn’t confident it can have the service ready for prime time by the 2010 Soccer World Cup, it would look at scaling back its investment in the service.

Says Letele: “The World Cup is the perfect time to showcase a technology like this. But we need time in order to make sure that we can achieve mass-market penetration of the service. It typically takes 18 to 24 months for new technology in handsets to filter down to more affordable handsets – and that’s vital in making the service a success.”

Gerdus van Eeden, MultiChoice chief technology officer, says the company expected to invest around R1bn in its mobile TV offering but there were a number of other projects competing for funding within the group. Van Eeden says a test network that’s up and running would allow it to launch almost instantly in Gauteng and Cape Town but other metro areas would need to be rolled out from scratch.

To deliver coverage in time for the Confederation Cup in June 2009 in the five cities hosting matches, MultiChoice would need to begin rolling out infrastructure almost immediately. That would include network planning, securing sites for its broadcasting towers, conducting an environmental impact study where necessary, ordering the equipment and physically building and testing the network. Van Eeden says that would take around nine months to complete.

An operational mobile TV service is one of the commitments that SA’s Government has made to world soccer’s controlling body Fifa as part of its World Cup bid.

But Goldstuck says: “If the policy was issued today and if it provided an easy path for broadcasters to obtain licences, and if the cellular networks and the handset manufacturers co-operated to get the product to market quickly, it could still work out. There are a lot of ‘ifs’ and Government’s track record is not promising.”

With a minimum of 12 months available from June 2008 – when the minister has promised to release the policy – and the start of the Confederations Cup in June next year, there’s little room for further delays.

Mobile TV discussion

Finweek