The DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) service will deliver more than 100 broadcast channels to cell phones and vehicle-mounted televisions in Japan and South Korea
SK Telecom and Toshiba launched yesterday the first satellite that transmits digital TV to cell phones. The MBSat satellite, launched from Florida, will broadcast to South Korea and Japan for the next 12 years. SK and Toshiba, along with 150 other companies, including Samsung Electronics and Toyota Motor, have invested $237 million in the venture, which is intended to give them a foothold in the nascent mobile/mobile TV market.
The DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) service will deliver more than 100 broadcast channels to cell phones and vehicle-mounted televisions in Japan and South Korea. The transmission speed is three times more than the current mobile broadband transmission. The service will make it possible to receive digital broadcasts not only in cell phones and handheld computers, but also in cars, trains and ships traveling at a speed of up to 150 km/h, using a tiny receiving antenna.
SK Telecom is one of the largest mobile operators in South Korea. Its satellite broadcasts, in cooperation with the television company TU Media, will open during the run-up period in May, and should become commercial within two months. The project has not yet received a broadcast license, but according to estimates it will be possible to receive the license as early as this month, subject to planned regulatory changes in South Korea.
TU Media has set itself the goal of reaching a profit by 2006, revenues of 237 million dollars, and 2.2 million subscribers.
