EC backs DVB-H as standard

Olympics to boost mobile TV

BRUSSELS — The European Commission Wednesday urged national governments to take up Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld as the single standard for mobile television in the 27 countries that comprise the European Union.

The DVB-H standard is based on technology pioneered by Nokia for mobile TV, which the EC said is the strongest standard for mobile TV. Nokia and Motorola, which launched its own DVB-H handheld model in May, had both lobbied Brussels for its promotion of the DVB-H standard.

Major spectator events, such as next summer's Olympic games and the soccer European Cup, could be critical in driving take-up of mobile TV, which has yet to be widely adopted. DVB-H is the most widely used of the three technologies now available within EU that enable mobile TV broadcasts.

Although widely anticipated, the EC's decision is a blow to Nokia and Motorola's international rivals. The California-based wireless R&D firm Qualcomm had been lobbying for the MediaFlo standard it provides.

Samsung and other South Korean manufacturers had also been pressing Brussels on the advantages of their DMB technology.