Qualcomm ready to make friends or war with Nokia

Mobile TV standards war gets ugly - or otherwise

Despite going head to head with Nokia, Qualcomm is sticking to its mobile TV guns – and will even work with its rival if needs be, a Qualcomm exec said today.

While most mobile giants have picked an existing mobile standard and thrown their weight behind it already, Qualcomm has decided to go it alone with its in-house developed MediaFLO technology – shunning the Nokia-favoured DVB-H, already being trialled in Europe.

Rob Chandhok , VP of engineering and market development, said: "We really have tried to do something different. All those [mobile TV variants] are based on existing standards. We think the mobile market is big enough to warrant its own technology."

However, DVB-H is already capturing some operators' - and analysts' - imaginations, while the proprietary nature of MediaFLO will doubtless put off some mobile companies.

Chandhok said: "We would argue that FLO is driven by Qualcomm, like DVB-H is driven by Nokia. It's not as far along but the path we're taking is exactly analogous." Qualcomm for example has launched a forum around the technology – FLOforum – to help tackle interoperability and other issues, as Nokia has backed the DVB-H Project.

However, despite the two heavyweights now pitted head-to-head in mobile TV as well as in the courtroom, Chandhok predicts peace may yet break out between the pair.

He said: "The world isn't quite ready to pick one standard. I wouldn't rule out a harmonisation of DVB-H and FLO at some point," adding the company would be happy to work with Nokia on MediaFLO.

However, there may yet be no demand to necessitate such a partnership. Chandhok, however, dismissed the findings of analyst reports that found a lack of interest in mobile TV. "We don't see that when we talk to operators," he said. "We're quite confident in the [consumer] demand, if the production's done right.

"No one says 'the encoding's terrible but the show was OK'."

According to Chandhok, the issue of pricing has yet to be solved too – with $15 to 20 and $5 per month bundles all being played with. "We don't know how that will segment out and where it will land," he said.

Equally undecided at present is Qualcomm's plan for Europe, where it is currently talking to broadcasters and partners with regards to a MediaFLO network but is yet to announce any commercial trials or rollout plans.

However, things across the pond are working out more in Qualcomm's favour, it seems, with Chandhok saying the company is "confident" of fulfilling a promise to launch its broadcast network in October 2006 with at least one operator onside. "We're comfortable with the way things are going," he said.