Mobile-TV Push Gets Fuzzy Reception

Chip maker Qualcomm Inc. last week signaled it may give up a costly six-year quest to bring broadcast TV to mobile phones and other devices in the U.S. Not too many people are surprised, however, given the reception for mobile-TV services in the country so far.

But other entrepreneurs remain undaunted, arguing that technology decisions and other factors slowed adoption of a medium that has gained traction in other countries. A group of U.S. local broadcasters, in fact, is just beginning to gear up an effort to deliver a broadcast service called Mobile DTV to U.S. markets, using transmission capacity freed up by a transition from analog to digital technology. Meanwhile, a start-up called MobiTV Inc., which helps carriers offer mobile-TV services, says viewership of the World Cup helped turn June into the best month in its 10-year history. The Emeryville, Calif., company claims more than 10 million users, up from seven million this time a year ago. Yet that's not a very large number when weighed against the U.S. cellular industry's estimate of more than 285 million wireless subscriber accounts. Qualcomm hasn't released usage figures for the wireless network it calls FLO TV, which powers mobile-TV services marketed by AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group PLC, yet it has conceded that growth has been disappointing.