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alan.varghese
The whole MediaFLO project had to be a challenge right from the start. ...
junko.yoshida
Qualcomm now pitching Flo TV for data download is a clear sign that the San ...
Qualcomm to use MediaFlo for data download
Peter Clarke
9/10/2010 11:27 AM EDT
LONDON – Qualcomm is planning to use broadcast frequencies assigned to its Flo TV services to download internet pages. The company started trials with mobile phone service provider AT&T in the United States in August, according to Melanie Honnor, director of business development for MediaFlo, Qualcomm Europe.
Flo TV, a live television service available on CDMA phones and enabled by the Qualcomm's MediaFLO technology, has not been a runaway success but congestion of the cellular network means that operators and broadcasters are interested in using broadcast spectrum to push additional data to subscribers.
At a Qualcomm technology day held in London Honnor demonstrated the sort of services that MediaFlo could enable using an iPad terminal. Showing a selection of online magazines that could have been downloaded using MediaFlo technology over night, Honnor said this would relieve the burden on interactive 3G spectrum while saving costs.
Flo TV, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qualcomm, was introduced in 2007 in the United States on phones supplied by Verizon Wireless and AT&T Wireless and carries channels from major networks including ABC, CBS, ESPN, Fox and MTV. In April Flo TV said it would be expanding its offering with time-shifted watching of television and features that complement the programming viewers are watching in real-time.
Honnor said that using the spectrum to download frequently requested web pages was one potential use. In the U.K. Qualcomm is in discussions with mobile phone service operators and media companies that want their web pages pushed to tablet computers. Although there is no start date for trials or services in the U.K. something is expected to start before the end of 2010. Qualcomm is also in discussions with authorities and potential partners in the rest of Europe and across Asia.
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selinz
9/10/2010 4:27 PM EDT
The cost adder to an already expensive AT&T and/or Verizon service undoubtedly discourages it's use. Sprint chose to include their TV in their data everything plans so every Sprint phone has TV. However, even with my free TV, I tend to use it sparingly. So rather than provide more service for the same money, they are choosing to fill up their existing bandwidth with other stuff.. Makes business sense but it sucks for the consumer.
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junko.yoshida
9/11/2010 11:47 AM EDT
Qualcomm now pitching Flo TV for data download is a clear sign that the San Diego-based company wants to sell the spectrum it paid at a higher price. Qualcomm wants to unload the company's disappointing Flo TV properties -- whether its service or spectrum.
The company now needs to demonstrate to the world that the infrastructure the company built is valuable for SOMETHING other than mobile TV.
Let's see if anybody would go for that.
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alan.varghese
9/14/2010 10:47 AM EDT
The whole MediaFLO project had to be a challenge right from the start. Qualcomm's strengths are in wireless algorithms and chip design; whereas MediaFLO required an entire ecosystem of frequencies, spectrum regulations, networks, TV content, operators, devices and chipsets - each with their own set of requirements and complexities - to come together in order to be successful.
Qualcomm has been known to play in broader segments (eg: CDMA handsets) in order to prime a market, and in order that they get to sell more of their main product - which is chipsets & licensing. But with MediaFLO, things got complicated right from the start, when the transition to Digital TV was delayed.
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