European Parliament officially endorses DVB-H

The European Parliament officially endorsed the European Commission's proposal to establish DVB-H as Europe's mobile TV standard, although several of the EU's 27 member states vowed to block the move. With Parliament's approval in place, the commission will next draw up guidelines for authorization procedures and the addition of DVB-H to the EU's official list of standards: "European mobile TV is a step closer to success following today's endorsement by the Council of the Commission's strategy for creating economies of scale in this important sector," said EU Commissioner for the Information Society and Media Viviane Reding in a prepared statement. "This shows that political resolve and market developments are in tune to ensure this potentially multi-billion-euro market is on the right track by mid-2008." (Europe has targeted 2008 as a pivotal year for mobile TV due to events including the European Football Championship and the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.)

A Commission official said an opposition faction led by Great Britain, Germany and the Netherlands must secure a majority of 18 EU states to block the DVB-H standardization process. "It is premature to consider intervening in the market for mobile TV," said British Minister of State for Competitiveness Stephen Timms in a statement. "All current competing standards should be listed, not just DVB-H."

For more on Parliament's mobile TV endorsement:
- read this Silicon Republic article

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