• FT.com, Monday, February 13, 2006 10:49 AM

Richard Branson's Virgin Mobile is working with Microsoft and BT Group in the United Kingdom to launch what is expected to be Europe's first nationwide television broadcast service designed exclusively for mobile phones. According to a story at FT.com, the service will likely go live around midyear, offering, at the start, access to at least five TV stations and "a large number of radio channels." The technology, developed jointly by Microsoft and BT, is said to be a derivative of commercial digital broadcasting technology that was deployed in South Korea in 2005. Korea is widely seen as a worldwide leader in the adaptation of new mobile-phone technologies. Says FT.com: "The success of the BT offering would solve a big headache that other mobile phone operators are expected to face in the future if TV over the mobile [phone] is a success." Point: The BT offering will run over the U.K.'s nationwide established digital audio network, eliminating the need for fresh infrastructure.

Read the whole story at FT.com »