MobiTV and IPWireless Partner to Develop Next Generation Mobile TV Solutions for Mobile Operators

MobiTV and IPWireless Partner to Develop Next Generation Mobile TV Solutions for Mobile Operators

Solutions Will Enhance Subscriber Experience and Allow Operators to Offer Optimal Blend of Unicast and TDtv Broadcast Services

EMERYVILLE, Calif. and SAN BRUNO, Calif., Feb 8 /PRNewswire/ -- MobiTV, Inc., the global leader in digital television and music services for mobile devices, and IPWireless today announced that the two companies plan to jointly develop next generation mobile television delivery solutions that combine today's unicast technologies with TDtv multicasting in order to optimally manage network utilization, all while providing a seamless MobiTV experience for customers. During the first half of 2006, the companies will demonstrate delivery of MobiTV over TDtv to mobile handsets.

Many operators worldwide have launched successful mobile television offerings using the Emmy(R) Award winning MobiTV(R) service and other multimedia services over their existing 2.5G and 3G networks. MobiTV's global network offering, using unicast technology today, accelerates time-to-market and allows operators to capitalize on early mobile television demand. In the future, adoption rate and demand for mobile television will require other broadcast or multicast solutions to compliment or co-exist with the unicast offering. TDtv is an ideal partner offering, able to leverage the newly defined 3GPP Release 6 Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast Service (MBMS) standard to allow an infinite number of customers to watch the same channel or use the same network bandwidth.

MobiTV and IPWireless plan to work together to co-develop solutions that enable operators to migrate subscribers in high-usage areas to TDtv, utilizing their existing 3G spectrum. The two companies will also work with operators to ensure this unicast and broadcast combination is seamless for the mobile subscriber. As part of this, MobiTV will develop a H.264 version of its player to run over TDtv. H.264 is the video codec defined in the 3GPP MBMS standard that allows higher quality video to be delivered over wireless networks.

"We are committed to delivering the MobiTV service on any platform and across any network. Our partnership with IPWireless to develop a high- efficiency multicast solution that will utilize existing cellular infrastructure is a natural complement and extension to the growing reach of our mobile television and music services. These new network technologies will allow even more profitable delivery of our most popular stations in even the most crowded cities," said Phillip Alvelda, CEO and chairman of MobiTV. "Operators around the world are realizing that it is in their best interest to launch mobile television services on their existing 2.5 and 3G networks and develop solutions that allow them to keep improving their offerings as new broadcast platforms are deployed. TDtv is one such solution because it allows operators to meet migration demands by utilizing their existing unpaired 3G assets."

"IPWireless will continue to partner with leaders like MobiTV to improve the overall value proposition of TDtv for subscribers and operators," said Dr. Bill Jones, chief operating officer, IPWireless. "With more than half a million subscribers already using MobiTV services, MobiTV is a world leader in understanding how mobile subscribers enjoy content. They are in a unique position to help IPWireless ensure subscribers enjoy an optimal experience when using TDtv."

TDtv, which is based on the newly defined 3GPP Release 6 Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast Standard (MBMS), offers operators a number of significant strategic, performance, and economic advantages over alternative mobile television solutions. TDtv operates in the universal unpaired 3G spectrum bands that are available across Europe and Asia at 1900MHz and 2010MHz. It allows UMTS operators to fully utilize their existing spectrum and base stations to offer subscribers attractive mobile TV and multimedia packages without impacting other voice and data 3G services. TDtv allows operators to deliver up to 50 channels of TV for standard cell phone screens, or 17 higher quality QVGA channels, in 5MHz of unpaired 1900 MHz spectrum, or twice the number of channels for operators with 10MHz of spectrum in the other bands supported by IPWireless worldwide. With TDtv, operators will also be able to deliver digital audio, multicast, or other IP data cast services to enhance their service offerings.

Based on a successful trial phase, IPWireless expects commercial TDtv networks to be rolled out by mid 2007 using technology from IPWireless and solutions from ecosystem partners.

About MobiTV

MobiTV, Inc. (formerly known as Idetic, Inc.) is the first global television and digital radio service provider for the more than 2 billion mobile phone users worldwide. The MobiTV(R) service is available in the US through Sprint, Cingular, Alltel and several regional carriers; in the United Kingdom through 3 and Orange UK; and is now available to Canadian customers through Bell Canada, Rogers and TELUS Mobility. The Emmy(R) Award winning service now reaches more than half a million subscribers and offers many popular TV channels from content providers such as MSNBC, ABC News Now, CNN, Fox News, Fox Sports, ESPN 3GTV, NBC Mobile, CNBC, CSPAN, The Discovery Channel, TLC, The Weather Channel and others that deliver cartoons, music videos and comedy. MobiTV also has a full line up of geographically specific channels. Founded in 1999, MobiTV is a privately-held company headquartered in Emeryville, CA. For more information on the company, its products or technology, please visit www.mobitv.com.

About IPWireless

IPWireless develops advanced next generation mobile broadband and multimedia technology based on global standards. The company's TD-CDMA technology has emerged as a leading global standard for wireless broadband, allowing operators to offer a spectrum of completely mobile, portable, or stationary end-to-end packet-based services with unmatched economics and performance. TD-CDMA has the highest average sector capacity, the strongest cell edge performance, and the lowest cost per megabit of any standards-based mobile technology available today, and is deployed by leading operators around the world including announced initiatives with T-Mobile, Orange, Sprint, and PCCW. The IPWireless Partner Program and chipsets allow device manufacturers and infrastructure vendors to very quickly bring innovative new TD-CDMA solutions to market. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ipwireless.com.

NOTE: MobiTV, the MobiTV logo, MobiRadio, and the MobiRadio logo are trademarks, service marks, and/or registered trademarks of MobiTV, Inc. in the United States and in other countries. All other trademarks, service marks, and product names used herein are the property of their respective owners.

Source: MobiTV, Inc.

CONTACT: Madelyn Smith Orfitelli of IPWireless, +1-703-548-3738, or
msmith@ipwireless.com; or Kristie Heins Fox of Ruder Finn, +1-312-329-3985, or
heinsfoxk@ruderfinn.com, for IPWireless; or Ed Howson of Temono
Communications, +44 (207) 981 9783, or ed.howson@temono.com, for IPWireless;
or Jason Taylor of MobiTV, +1-650-346-5643, or jason@mobitv.com; or Lindsey
Brookes of Harvard PR, +44 (0) 20 8564 6386, or Lindsey.Brookes@harvard.co.uk,
for MobiTV

Web site: http://www.ipwireless.com/

Web site: http://www.mobitv.com/

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