ABSTRACT
Mobile TV is in it early years, but the same cannot be said of the cellular mobile industry itself, which at over 2 billion users is the largest industry worldwide. Its users exceed those of the Internet (1 billion in 2006) and pay TV (800 million) and their numbers continue to grow at over 30% on a global basis and between 50 and 85% per year in countries where the penetration is still low, such as India. The growth of the 3G networks has averaged over 100% during the year 2006, a trend that is expected to continue, to usher in a more conducive environment for development of multimedia applications and mobile TV. Due to the large size of the industry the stakes are very high for the players to mold the environment in their favor. The scenario can change overnight for technology providers, chip and handset manufacturers, and service providers based on decisions about technology, regulation, and spectrum and of industry bodies such as the Open Mobile Alliance or 3GPP and 3GPP2.
