Disappointing take-up of Swiss mobile TV

Take-up of the mobile TV service from Swisscom is not meeting expectations, according to Swisscom Broadcast chief Jean-Paul de Weck, speaking during the Biel Bienne Communication Days (Comdays). The main reason for the slow acceptance is the lack of choice of DVB-H capable handsets.

“Here we have a little problem with the manufacturers. We hope that next year it will be better,” said De Weck in a local newspaper, as quoted by Digital Fernsehen, “With the expansion of the supply of mobile phones and content in October, the DVB-H customer numbers should rise again.”

Up until the end of September, the Nokia N77 was the only handset available to receive the service, though now there are four different models. Swisscom currently has about 5,000 mobile TV users, though it expects to gain more subscribers with the wider choice of handsets.