Thomson aiming at Nokia with OMA BCAST

Thomson has developed a content and access solution based on OMA BCAST standard, that it says will help operators choose their mobile TV platform with more confidence it will be interoperable with different handsets and security platforms on he market, writes Keith Dyer reporting from IBC,.

Thomson's OMA BCAST solution features a Thomson DVB-H Mobile TV encoder with scrambling capabilities and its SmartVision service platform, which generates an OMA BCAST Electronic Service Guide (ESG). Speaking to Mobile Europe, Yann Courqueux, Director IP & Mobility Systems, WW Systems Solutions, Thomson, said that so far in the area of content access there has been a battle between the broadcast and the mobile side of the industry. The standards based approach was about bridging that gap, he said. "Essentially the head end market is split between Thomson and Nokia, so up until now, if you chose Nokia¹s solution, it also meant working with Nokia phones, not with LG, Motorola, or anyone else.

The incompatibility meant it was not possible to change across brands. Yet of course with nearly 50% of the market operators feel they need to have Nokia in their portfolio. So they need Nokia phones yet can¹t work with others. "This is a single platform that is interoperable with different service and content protection systems including Irdeto, Nagravision and Viaccess," Courqueux said. Courqueux added that that in countries where there is going to be one frequency, and one host mobile TV network, sharing is going to be essential, hence mandating interoperability.

"When Nokia phones get OMA BCAST in them in the next year or so then operators will have a choice, and that¹s the differentiation," Courqueux said. The OMA BCAST SmartCard Profile integrates security software into the SIM card itself.

"The OMA BCAST SmartCard Profile is Mobile Operators' preferred standard for Mobile TV service and content protection, as it places all the rights management in the SIM card to lower the overall price of mobile TV terminals," said Frédéric Caussarieu, General Manager of Thomson¹s network software business. Thomson said its Mobile TV solutions is involved in 50% of the trials and 70% of the commercial services currently deployed around the world.