For cellular operators still pondering whether to launch mobile TV, what technology to use, and if anyone wants it, Ericsson CEO Carl-Henric Svanberg has something to tell you: don't underestimate the power of mobile TV, and don't wait around.
Talking to the Show Daily on the sidelines of ITU Telecom World 2006, Svanberg downplayed reports earlier this month that he predicted mobile TV would be a mass-market product by 2008 - 'I think that's a sharpened argument that I don't remember putting quite like that,' he said. But he insisted that industry players underestimate mobile TV's potential at their peril.
'It's much more powerful than people think,' he said. 'People who haven't thought much about mobile TV at first say, 'you can't watch TV on a small screen,' but when you look at the device and you see the sharpness of the picture and put on earphones to hear the sound quality, you get an experience that is much better than people expect. So it's come a long way.'
Of course, operators face a plethora of challenges and choices in technology for mobile TV, including T-DMB, S-DMB, and DVB-H - all of which require new network infrastructure - or upcoming MBMS, which can be deployed over 3G networks and can also better support key functions as multicast and on-demand content.
Operators also have to make a mindshift in their basic business model to go into mobile TV, Svanberg said. 'They're changing from a voice provider to an entertainment company, and that puts a lot of focus on business models and how to charge for it. That's very critical now to their success, and ours.'
Either way, he advises that operators get off the sidelines sooner rather than take a wait-and-see attitude. 'It's better to start now than to wait for that big moment, because usually this industry has no big moments when everything is clear.'