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European cellular network provider Virgin Mobile is the first company in Europe to offer its customers the latest in wireless content: digital TV and radio services.
Virgin Mobile will begin selling smartphones that can receive the service later this year, it said. Users can see and hear the content through one-click access, the company has said, as opposed to downloading it.
Different Models
Virgin Mobile is the latest provider to experiment in this nascent, but potentially rich, wireless niche. Cellular phone companies and service providers are developing all sorts of partnerships with content providers and other software vendors -- the most notable being Motorola (NYSE: MOT) with Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) iTunes -- to bring multimedia content to users.
Some providers are moving beyond music -- a category that is dominated by iTunes and the iPod -- to the even more experimental category of digital TV.
The United States is ahead of the European markets in this area, but only slightly, given the technology's emerging state.
Bon Jovi on the Line
Last December 17, a large number of Sprint (NYSE: S) MobiTV subscribers watched live video of a Bon Jovi concert. It was a test for a new service the company is considering adding, spokeperson Angie Read told TechNewsWorld.
Sprint doesn't provide specific viewer numbers, but the concert was heavily watched, she said. "We were very pleased and are looking at doing it again."
Another benefit was that the concert helped build awareness of Sprint Mobi's services, according to Read. "Mobile or digital TV is still a very new form, and most people are just learning about it," she noted.
Potential demand is very high, though, especially as awareness grows. When consumers become aware of the service, they usually want it -- or at least want to learn more about it, according to Read.
Other carriers that offer MobiTV services include Cingular, Midwest Wireless, Alltel, Cellular South and Verizon Wireless in Puerto Rico.
Bandwagon Picking Up Speed
Other providers are also entering the space, which will further develop awareness. On Monday, Openwave Systems (Nasdaq: OPWV), a provider of open software products and services for the communications and media industry, announced plans to co-market and support mobile television services integrated with the Openwave Mobile Integrated Dynamic Application System (MIDAS) environment.
It is partnering with two mobile television providers, IceTV, which delivers TV broadcasts and custom programming developed specifically for handhelds, and Nexage, a wireless and multimedia software and services company that recently announced its PhoneCast mobile video solution.
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