“Qualcomm to use MediaFlo for data download”

Qualcomm to use MediaFlo for data download

Posted: 10 Sep 2010 08:54 AM PDT

LONDON – Qualcomm is planning to use broadcast frequencies assigned to its Flo TV services to download internet pages. The company started trials with mobile phone service provider AT&T in the United States in August, according to Melanie Honnor, director of business development for MediaFlo, Qualcomm Europe.

Flo TV, a live television service available on CDMA phones and enabled by the Qualcomm's MediaFLO technology, has not been a runaway success but congestion of the cellular network means that operators and broadcasters are interested in using broadcast spectrum to push additional data to subscribers.

At a Qualcomm technology day held in London Honnor demonstrated the sort of services that MediaFlo could enable using an iPad terminal. Showing a selection of online magazines that could have been downloaded using MediaFlo technology over night, Honnor said this would relieve the burden on interactive 3G spectrum while saving costs.

Flo TV, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qualcomm, was introduced in 2007 in the United States on phones supplied by Verizon Wireless and AT&T Wireless and carries channels from major networks including ABC, CBS, ESPN, Fox and MTV. In April Flo TV said it would be expanding its offering with time-shifted watching of television and features that complement the programming viewers are watching in real-time.

Honnor said that using the spectrum to download frequently requested web pages was one potential use. In the U.K. Qualcomm is in discussions with mobile phone service operators and media companies that want their web pages pushed to tablet computers. Although there is no start date for trials or services in the U.K. something is expected to start before the end of 2010. Qualcomm is also in discussions with authorities and potential partners in the rest of Europe and across Asia.

Related links and articles:

www.flotv.com

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