Advanced Television

Portugal's RTP starts mobile HD

December 14, 2007

From Branislav Pekic in Rome

Portuguese public broadcaster RTP has started transmitting its first TV channel in high definition for mobile phones. According to the head of the project, Carlos Vargas, this is the first HD mobile project in Portugal and is being conducted in partnership with mobile operator Optimus and Nokia, with the technological support from Alcatel-Lucent.

RTP's mobile channel reported one million views in October, guaranteeing it market leadership. This result corresponds to more than 66,000 hours of the effective audience of RTP Mobile since the channel started broadcasting in July 2006.

Figures from Portugal's Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Communications at the end of 2007 suggest that an estimated 2.7 million 3G mobile phones were capable of receiving mobile TV. The European Commission supported DVB-H standard is ready to be adopted in Portugal, only the necessary legislation is lacking, linked to the outcome of the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) tender.

Categories: Articles, Mobile, Mobile TV, UHD