FLO TV goes nationwide Friday

Qualcomm's mobile broadcast subsidiary FLO TV announced it will expand its service nationwide Friday in conjunction with the long-planned DTV transition, which will free up broadband spectrum for its FLO mobile TV network. FLO TV will now extend across 39 new U.S. markets, offering service to a potential audience of 200 million potential subscribers in cities including Boston, Houston, Miami and San Francisco--the firm plans to roll out to 100 total major markets by the end of 2009.  

FLO TV was forced to postpone its national rollout plans after federal lawmakers voted to delay broadcast television's transition to all-digital services from Feb. 17 to June 12, giving analog television owners a four-month reprieve before broadcasters make the switch to digital services. The transition to digital broadcasting frees up the 700 MHz spectrum auctioned last year by the FCC--Qualcomm spent more than $500 million acquiring eight licenses [1] in the auction. Qualcomm stated [2] it would lose "tens of millions of dollars" by delaying the transition to June.

For more on the FLO TV expansion:
- read this release [3]