SAN DIEGO- Verizon Wireless will use Qualcomm Inc.’s MediaFLO network to broadcast live TV to cell phones, the companies announced.
The nation’s second-largest carrier announced plans to use Qualcomm’s $800 million mobile TV network to offer live mobile video services in about half of the markets already covered by its CDMA EV-DO high-speed wireless service. Verizon Wireless will be the first U.S. operator to use the MediaFLO network, which is set to launch commercially late next year.
However, Verizon did not specifically say when it would offer commercial TV services to its subscribers.
The real-time video broadcasts will be available to subscribers with MediaFLO-enabled EV-DO handsets. Verizon Wireless said it will expand the service to other markets following the initial launch.
The operator already delivers on-demand video through its Vcast service, but has yet to offer live TV.
“As we aggressively expand our mobile multimedia offerings, MediaFLO will help us continue providing the most innovative multimedia services in the nation,” Verizon Wireless Chief Marketing Officer John Stratton said.
The move marks a major win for Qualcomm, which last year announced plans to build the one-way, high-speed network using its own spectrum. The chipmaker hopes to give carriers a way to offload data-heavy video services onto a dedicated network, preserving cellular infrastructure for voice calls and Internet access.
Crown Castle International Corp. has yet to announce a carrier customer for a competing network it hopes to launch next year using DVB-H technology. Verizon’s announcement may spur other carriers to opt for one of the two dedicated networks.
“We believe (Crown Castle) will likely announce carrier partners in the near future,” CIBC World Markets Corp. wrote in a research note. “We note that the MediaFLO network would not necessarily be limited to Verizon and could be offered to other U.S. wireless carriers.”
