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SingTel mio TV on Mobile to launch May 24

By Damian Koh
May 20, 2008

SINGAPORE--For S$6 a month during the promotional period (usual price is S$9.90), SingTel postpaid customers will be able to stream live TV via a client installed on selected mobile phones to their hearts' content. Pay-per-view for the programs and on-demand videos (VOD) will also be available at S$0.50 per 10 minutes and per clip, respectively.

The new service, mio TV on Mobile, announced today will go live on May 24.

The concept of streaming live TV to handsets is not new on the island-state. MobileOne (M1)--one of the three telcos in Singapore--has a similar service in place since two years ago. The key differentiator for SingTel's service is the mobile TV client which allows users to browse the available content without logging in to a Web portal using a browser, which M1 requires.

Other features that will come with mio TV on Mobile include an electronic program guide that is capable of displaying available programs up to seven days in advance. For mio TV subscribers, they can also look forward to a feature that will allow them to schedule recordings on their home settop boxes directly from their handsets by September.

Twelve TV channels and three VOD programs will be available at launch. The channels are classified into Entertainment, Kids and Family, Asia, and News, and will include a selection of local as well as regional content.

Users will need to download and install a flash application estimated at less than 200kb onto compatible handsets. Currently, the program will work on only 10 Nokia models, including the upcoming N78. The telco said more handsets will be supported in the future.

Unlike DVB-H, one of the prevalent mobile TV formats which requires a handset that supports the standard, SingTel's new service steams the programs via GPRS or 3G data connection. According to the telco, there will be no data charges for downloading the application or watching the programs. In addition, it is offering this service free to users until July 31.

SingTel said it is currently evaluating the use of DVB-H technology.

MobileOne, on the other hand, revealed that it will be holding a joint mobile TV service trial based on DVB-H with MediaCorp in the third quarter of this year.

According to SingTel, it currently has 859,000 3G subscribers. The company announced its results for the fourth quarter and year ending March 31 on May 14.

 

 

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