Sky Television Trialing MediaFLO Mobile TV Service

Qualcomm and the UK pay-TV provider, BSkyB have announced that they are to conduct technical trials of Qualcomm's MediaFLO technology. Expected to begin during the summer of 2006, the technical trial will feature 10 channels of BSkyB content on a small number of non commercial devices provided by Qualcomm. The technical trial is intended to allow BSkyB to closely evaluate the performance capabilities of FLO technology, as it continues to explore the growing number of opportunities to deliver video services to mobile devices in the United Kingdom.

FLO technology, a broadcast innovation and key component of the MediaFLO system, is an air-interface technology designed to increase capacity and coverage, and reduce cost for multimedia content delivery to mobile handsets. The BSkyB technical trial is expected to be the first such trial of FLO technology in Europe.

"As one of Europe's largest, most successful and best-known multichannel television platform operators, BSkyB is the ideal company to team up with Qualcomm on our first MediaFLO trial in Europe," said Peggy Johnson, president of Qualcomm Internet Service and MediaFLO Technologies. "We expect this trial to demonstrate a strong validation of the value Qualcomm believes FLO technology offers both in Europe and other markets around the world. The openness of the MediaFLO system, as well as its significant advantages with respect to coverage, power consumption and cost, set MediaFLO apart from other competing technologies."

Posted to the site on 10th May 2006