As Promised, LIME Is First To Market With Mobile TV

The Gleaner Jamaica | Sunday December 12, 2010
LIME Jamaica, in an exclusive launch last Thursday that was open only to the invited, became the first to offer mobile TV to Jamaica and the Caribbean.
The service will roll out in Kingston and St Catherine initially, moving to full national coverage by next summer.
“It will be available to the entire Jamaica by next year June,” chairman of LIME Jamaica, Chris Dehring, told Sunday Business of the Jamaican plans following the launch.
Dehring is also LIME Caribbean’s chief marketing officer.
Subscriptions open Monday on a series of mobile TV packages, the most basic of which is a seven-day prepaid service costing J$250. The service is deployed via IPTV– enabled phones.
Subscribers will also get 200 minutes of free talk time during the introductory period.
Dehring would not disclose the value of the mobile TV investment, but said it was part of the US$100 million of capital expenditure on improvements to the telecom’s technology infrastructure.
“LIME Mobile TV provides the ultimate solution. It’s a natural twinning of two of the most ubiquitous technologies in the world, and it’s going to change the way people live and plan their time. They are going to have more flexibility as they no longer have to stay home to avoid missing their favourite programme on TV,” he said.
Developed in collaboration with local cable company DC Digital, the technology will allow LIME customers access, while on the go, to television and cable channels, plus tuning into radio channels, with more channels, including a ‘pay-per-view’ offering to be added within the coming weeks.
Subscribers will need a digital mobile TV-enabled device such as the Nokia 5330 or ZTE-N290 to access the service.
US$100-m capital programme
LIME is also working to deliver the service to other smartphones.
LIME Jamaica’s US$100-million capital programme this year includes construction of a new US$35-million international cable linking Jamaica to the British Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic, which will provide increased capacity and alternative routes to the United States. There is also a focus on the expansion of its mobile, broadband, and 3G coverage, with an additional 100 cell sites.
Mobile TV is popular in the United States, Europe, and sections of the African continent.
In 2005, South Korea became the first country to introduce the service.
mark.titus@gleanerjm.com
Article via The Gleaner Jamaica