Verizon unveils telly-phone plans

VERIZON WIRELESS picked CES Las Vegas to announce it will be offering a full mobile TV service based on Qualcomm's FLO technology and its MediaFLO network.

The choice of mobile TV technology is no surprise given that Verizon is a cdmaOne operator - even though it is part owned by Vodafone. So it's no big blow to DVB-H which the likes of Nokia are backing.

Although the service is due to start this quarter (Q1 2007), the company did not disclose how much a subscription will cost. Branded Vcast TV, it will be charged separately from the existing Vcast video clip service.

It was also revealed that Vcast TV will kick off with a mere two handsets - one from Samsung and one from LG. Verizon hopes to offer more compatible handsets by Q1 2008.

Significantly Vcast TV will not only provide a 24 hour service - it will also offer live TV channels familiar from broadcast TV stations.

In the list are the likes of CBS, Fox, NBC and Comedy Central. Talking of Fox, back in the UK, Murdoch's BSkyB will be watching events closely.

Not only will Vcast TV give an idea of what real people will be charged for a live service, it should also demonstrate how keen consumers are to take up mobile TV.

Most observers believe that 'made for mobile' TV is likely to be the big winner. Consumers appear more willing to pay for 2-3 minute snippets rather than watching movies on their handsets.

It's hard to believe that watching a live baseball match on a tiny handset screen will be much fun. µ