Koreans and Germans to Co-operate on Mobile TV Services

The largest mobile operator in Korea, SK Telecom, said today that it has reached a preliminary agreement with German telecoms giant Deutsche Telekom which will see the pair jointly enter the mobile broadcasting market in Europe and Asia. However, neither company would say how much will be invested in the project nor would they discuss the financial details.

A simple statement from the Korean operator said "SK Telecom and T-Systems (a division of Deutsche Telekom) have agreed to jointly enter the mobile TV market in Europe and Asia. SK Telecom and T-Systems are planning to cooperate on a variety of mobile TV technologies."

In its home market SK has been a heavy backer of the digital media broadcasting (DMB) standard, which allows users to enjoy sports matches and other live TV programmes on mobile phones even while on moving vehicles. DMB is based on the Digital Audio Broadcasting standard, which has proved popular in the UK, but has been less popular in the rest of Europe. With DAB networks covering 80% of the European population, supporters of DMB point out that there are over 800 DAB services available to 475 million people in 40 countries.

One of the most advanced trials in Europe took place in Germany where the Bavarian Media Authority launched a pilot service in Regensburg. DMB was also used for the coverage of FIFA World Cup 2006 via mobile devices.

SK Telecom has been on the look-out for foreign investment opportunities for some years concerned that expansion in its home market is becoming more difficult.