Qualcomm, Huawei demo MBMS mobile TV sol'n

Qualcomm Inc. partnered with Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd to deliver TV to mobile handsets over existing UMTS networks via their 'first' demonstration of multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) mobile TV technology at this week's 3GSM World Congress in Spain.

"MBMS service will allow carriers to upgrade their pre-existing UMTS/HSPA networks with 3G mobile TV services to further differentiate their wireless offerings and gain additional revenue opportunities," said Yu Chengdong, president of Huawei's wireless network product line. "We expect MBMS service will be widely adopted by operators this year, with more equipment and handsets becoming available over the next several months."

Adds Luis Pineda, senior VP of marketing and management, Qualcomm CDMA Technologies, "This significant milestone in MBMS technology will change the way customers use their handset devices. We look forward to working with leading technology partners like Huawei Technologies to drive the deployment of this new technology as we continue to bring new and innovative wireless capabilities to users around the world."

The MBMS demo will feature a handset based on Qualcomm's mobile station modem MSM7200 chipset that receives TV programs at 256Kbps from Huawei's UMTS/HSPA network. The chipset supports 7.2Mbps HSDPA and up to 5.76Mbps HSUPA.