The greatest problem with communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished once and for all - George Bernard Shaw.

The last year saw a subtle but firm trend worldwide of increasing availability of broadcasting to mobile phones. One network after another went on stream and over 80 countries today, including our Asian neighbors such as Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan and Philippines support broadcasting to mobile phones. Broadcasting services to mobile phones require certain basic infrastructural inputs such as 3G or VHF/UHF spectrum or wireless spectrum for using the WiMAX technology, which pro-active governments in countries across the US, Europe and Asia have readily provided.

India is the largest market in the world in terms of the growth of mobile phones, with nearly 10 million being added a month and the second largest in the world in terms of absolute numbers at over 250 million phones in operation. The growth would have been much higher but is unfortunately low due to the lack of regulatory infrastructure such as allocation of 3G spectrum, licensing policy and spectrum for UHF mobile broadcasting, and non- allocation of spectrum in the 2.3 and 2.5 GHz bands for mobile WiMAX. This brings into focus the sheer untapped potential of broadcasting services to mobiles.

India not only leads in mobile devices growth but also has the richest content in the world with over 350 TV channels being telecast and the largest film and animation industry, which are key ingredients for mobile content. It is no secret that a lot of mobile content being broadcast today worldwide uses companies based in India for generating, processing and re-purposing mobile content, games, and animation services. As the Indian companies graduate to new technologies which can deliver flawless and interactive mobile content, there is an explosion waiting to happen in the mobile broadcast arena.

Content delivered to mobile devices

The delivery of content to mobile devices is a relatively simple process owing to the small screen sizes and consequently low bit rates required to deliver mobile TV. The typical screen size used is QVGA which is equivalent to 320 × 240 resolution and needs only 1/16^th of the bit rates needed for standard resolution broadcast TV. The use of MPEG4 compression technologies makes it possible to deliver 20-40 mobile TV channels in 8 MHz of spectrum used to deliver one standard definition analog TV channel. The content to mobile devices is generally delivered in conjunction with Mobile 2.0 services which include the mobile web, access to social networking, and instant messaging and presence services (IMPS).

The actual delivery of content takes place on a unicast basis (i.e. a separate stream for each user as in 3G networks) or on a broadcast basis as in MediaFLO or DVB-H networks. There are multiple technologies available such as DMB, DVB-H, FLO and others all of which achieve the purpose of reliably encapsulating the content and transmitting it using COFDM, CDMA or VSB in order that it is robust enough to be used in handheld environments and has features to conserve power. There are many implementations of such networks around the world.

Regulatory framework needed for mobile broadcasting

While the resources required for mobile broadcasting may be very small it is the licensing framework which has been impeding the imminent exploitation of this technology which is now commonly available in countries around the world. For example the 3G spectrum allocation policy in the country has been under discussion for over 3 years now. This is amazing for a country with such a vibrant mobile industry. The GSM or CDMA bands presently in use are brimming with users competing for voice services. While India is still debating the 3G policy, many extensions to the 3G such as HSDPA or EV-DO have already been developed and deployed and talks are on for the IMT-Advanced or 4G services which would be delivered using the WiMAX or 3G-LTE ( long term evolution) technologies.

The mobile TV framework for the country was prescribed by the TRAI after an extensive consultation process in Jan 2008 and it had appeared that the dawn of the New Year will also bring technologies which give a new life to the smart-phones which millions of Indians carry, but that was not to be. The mobile TV policy including the spectrum allocation in the UHF band has been relegated to the sidelines as was the case for its sibling i.e. the digital terrestrial broadcast, the framework for which was announced in 2005 by the TRAI.

Another mode of mobile broadcasting is using mobile WiMAX, which brings very high speed Internet and multicast TV to mobile devices. New networks such as XOHM in USA have already started rolling out with WiMAX multimedia broadcast offerings. However the mobile WiMAX spectrum allocation policy is also still awaiting the light of the day.

India seems to have fallen into the classic trap, where the operation of existing licenses prevents a fair implementation of new policies. We have seen this earlier in Internet telephony, where in order to protect the interests of the incumbent universal service licensees (UASL), regulators prevented the connection of the VoIP and public telephony networks in its entirety. The same issues are now arising with mobile operators, broadcasters, and other potential entrants.

Most of the services such as DTH, cable TV, terrestrial broadcast and mobile broadcast originate from the same broadcasters and in many cases the same equipment can support multiple delivery modes.

However the regulators have chosen to compartmentalize each service in its own cocoon. Hence, when permitted, India will see a different face of a mobile broadcaster, terrestrial broadcaster, DTH or cable operator for the same service or channel. While such an approach may be very comforting to a licensor or a service regulator, the fact is that the users today overwhelmingly prefer services which can be used while being on the move. This means that an IP-based wireless service provider who can offer all of the Web 2.0 services, offer media broadcasting and also bundle in "on demand" and "traditional TV" broadcasts, has an obvious advantage over a pure broadcaster.

Potential of mobile broadcasting in India?

In a survey by KPMG across 300 leaders in digital media and venture capital space, over 76 percent responded saying that mass adoption of mobile video was no more than one to three years away. In a country where the sale of mobile wall papers, ring tones, and SMS can be a billion dollar business, the potential of mobile broadcasting services provided over the right networks such as 3G, UHF or WiMAX can be well imagined. No past data can help project the true potential as the existing VAS services are merely the poor siblings which can be managed in the bandwidth and resource constrained environment.

The availability of the right licensing framework will enable the launch of a new generation of mobile multimedia and interactive services. The new services will not only enrich the user experience but will also give a fillip to the mobile content, animation, film and TV and advertising, and media industries.

It is evident that it is not only the operators actually providing the mobile TV services who gain from the new generation mobile broadcasting services but also an entire ecosystem of content, software, and animation industries.

Mobile advertising is another source of revenue which comes with mobile broadcasting services. Due to its very nature, mobile advertising can be user, location or program specific and thus be more effective and have a much higher success rate.

Mobile broadcasting services are generally billed on a fixed (per month) charge ranging from USD 20-40 based on the type of content and the number of channels available. Indian operators can expect revenues of Rs. 200-500 per month based on the offerings and target markets.

Type of content ideally suited for mobile broadcasting networks

As the time span of attention on a mobile screen is much lower than on a standard TV, specially repackaged content, news, sports and weather information are ideally suited for mobile TV networks. Sports content has been found to be the most commonly viewed content in most implementations worldwide and the trend is expected to be the same in India, which has one of the most extensive sports channel viewership. In addition animated content such as short movies or cartoons find good viewership amongst the kids and teens.

FM radio in broadcast mode can already be received on most mobile phones and it is expected that with 3G or WiMAX based networks, the internet radio stations will also be accessible over the mobile phones.

Devices which combine location-based services (LBS) such as maps and driving directions have an additional advantage as the mobile is the sole device which is needed for entertainment, office applications as well as voice.

Examples of mobile broadcasting networks

A number of successful mobile broadcasting networks operate around the globe. One of the early mobile content aggregators and service providers is MobiTV which provides services in the United States, Canada, and a number of countries in South America based on delivery via multiple 3G networks.

In regard to the mobile broadcast services using the VHF and UHF bands, over 50 networks are in operation or in advanced commercial trials using technologies such as DMB, DVB-H or MediaFLO.

In USA, FLO-based broadcast services are being provided by AT&T and Verizon, while Europe abounds with DVB-H and 3G-based operators. In Korea, services are being provided based on DMB-T standards by operators such as KBS and SBS.

Exploiting new opportunities

The lifetime for the emergence of new technologies has now fallen by an order of magnitude and is less than 2-3 years. The realization of such technologies however requires the licensing and regulatory framework to be equally efficient and dynamic and the resources to be available in a timely manner based on an open and transparent process. This process can be no other than an open auction of resources available if the experience of other countries is anything to go by. The industry needs to work pro-actively with the government and the regulator, TRAI, to set in place an agreed framework which will help unleash the multi-billion dollar revenue opportunities which the new medium of mobile broadcasting provides.