EMBC: No need for mobile TV regulations

The European Mobile Broadcasting Council accused European Commissioner for Information Society and Media Viviane Reding of defying industry recommendations after Reding called [1] last week for a mandated mobile broadcast TV technology. The EMBC, whose members include mobile operators, broadcasters and technology developers, said the commissioner's statement "jeopardizes investments made by European broadcasters and manufacturers in other technologies and contradicts everything the EMBC advised."

Reding said she is "not very impressed" with the progress made toward standardizing mobile TV platforms, adding she considers the DVB-H standard the frontrunner over rival technologies MediaFLO, DMB and DAB-IP, all of which are in trials with European carriers. The EMBC claims that there is no pressing need for regulations, suggesting that market forces should be allowed to determine the final outcome.

"It is ridiculous for the Commission to think that only one system can work everywhere," Quentin Howard, president of DAB/DMB advocacy forum WorldDMB, said in an interview with Mobile Europe. "Each country has its own unique requirements and market conditions, and the Commissioner's preference for one solution suggests she has failed to grasp that mobile operators and broadcasters need flexibility to develop different business models."

For more on the European standardization controversy:
- read this Mobile Europe article [2]

Related articles:
- MEF: EU [3]'s TV regulation needs clarifications
- EU [4] to monitor Premiership mobile licensing deals