EU 'requires DVB-H promotion'
March 20, 2008
The European Commission has formalised its adoption of DVB-H and says EU countries will 'be required' to promote it. The Commission said setting the Digital Video Broadcasting Handheld as the preferred European Union standard would give the industry a boost. “For mobile TV to take off in Europe, there must first be certainty about the technology,” European Commissioner Viviane Reding said.
The Commission executive said its decision sent “an important signal” to other countries preparing to decide whether to opt for DVB-H or other standards. Some EU member states, such as Britain, Germany and the Netherlands, had been opposed to setting DVB-H as the single standard in the bloc. But the EC said on it was the one most widely used in Europe and is between trials and commercial launch in 16 countries.
The GSM Association said it was staying neutral on mobile TV technology as it should be the market that decides on the standard.