MEDIAFLO : Delivering Content-ment!

MediaFLO (Media Forward-Link-Only) System is a wireless solution developed by
Qualcomm, for making mobile TV broadcasting highly effective and simple. This
solution helps to cost-effectively stream huge volumes of digital quality, audio
and video multimedia content to mobile phones, PDAs, among others. The MediaFLO
System is an end-to-end solution. It helps mobile TV broadcasting, addressing
issues related to usability, network capacity, and device constraints that occur
during the streaming of multimedia content to mobile phones.

Spectral efficiency is a prime feature of the MediaFLO system. Not only this,
new networks can be introduced as MediaFLO is easily scalable. This feature
helps content providers to launch new offerings leveraging existing content. The
MDS helps achieve seamless multiple content streams from multiple sources. Apart
from this, its MediaFLO Program Guide serves as a navigation tool to enhance
customer experience. It all means one most wanted thing-mobile TV users can now
experience high-quality, full motion video at affordable rates, at last.

At a time when the mobile TV concept is gaining momentum worldwide, MediaFLO
comes as a boon for all the stakeholders, particularly content providers.
Verizon Wireless in the US is already offering its subscribers FLO TV services
through VCAST Mobile TV. MediaFLO helps boost revenue generation for service
providers, wireless operators, application developers, and device manufacturers
in the mobile value chain. Once MediaFLO system does not replace existing
networks but complements them, drastically enhancing multimedia streaming.

In India, if number portability is the villain who can poach precious
customers from one service provider to another due to dissatisfaction, MediaFLO
is the hero for operators who can now, offer enhanced multimedia services to
consumers. Thus, MediaFLO can reduce customer churn, as it is capable of
delivering rich multimedia content to consumers with broadcast data, including
multiple real-time audio and video streams and individual non-real time audio
and video clips.

When Mobile TV is introduced in India, MediaFLO will be a boon for small
screen content providers like news and movie channels to extend their services
to mobile users. With India expecting to touch the 500 mn mobile phone users
mark by 2010, there will be a huge demand for handset manufacturers to produce
multimedia-enabled mobile phones, as discerning consumers will require smart
phones to enjoy the rich content streamed through MediaFLO.

Kannan K

kannan@cybermedia.co.in