Skip to main content

Consolidation Predicted for U.S. Mobile TV

The nascent mobile TV market in the U.S. cannot support the current number of players and is likely to undergo consolidation, according to a new report from Parks Associates. The report specifically points to Crown Castle's Modeo and Aloha Partner's Hiwire as candidates for consolidation, with both companies planning to launch nationwide mobile TV networks using DVB-H technology.

Parks cites several factors that make consolidation likely. In addition to Hiwire and Modeo, Qualcomm and Sprint-Nextel are both planning to deploy new networks, bringing the total to four. This number is high by international standards despite the fact that the U.S. has a relatively low cellular penetration rate.

Italy and South Korea, by comparison, have just two networks each even though consumers in these countries show a stronger propensity for using mobile phones as multimedia platforms, according to Parks.

"If you do the math, there are four networks for four operators, and that isn't realistic because you lose all the advantages of network sharing," said John Barrett, director of research at Parks Associates. "Consolidation would be a win-win scenario for the industry. Hiwire needs a network, and Modeo needs a more favorable spectrum allocation. They are a natural fit, whereas Sprint-Nextel has a large subscriber base to support its network and Qualcomm is dedicated to promoting its technology and chipsets."

Popular posts from this blog

The AI Application Integration Challenge

Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly become the defining force in business technology development, but integrating AI into applications remains a formidable challenge. According to a recent Gartner survey, 77 percent of engineering leaders identify AI integration in apps as a major hurdle for their organizations. As demand for AI-powered solutions accelerates across every industry, understanding the tools, the barriers, and the opportunities is essential for business and technology leaders seeking to evolve. The Gartner survey highlights a key trend: while AI’s potential is widely recognized, the path to useful integration is anything but straightforward. IT leaders cite complexities in embedding AI models into existing software, managing data pipelines, ensuring security, and maintaining compliance as persistent obstacles. These challenges are compounded by a shortage of skilled AI engineers and the rapid evolution of AI technologies, which can outpace organizational readiness and...