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UAE ready for mobile television |
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 Mobile television is technically feasible and commercially lucrative in the United Arab Emirates, according to initial findings of a trial being conducted by Dubai Media City (DMC). Now in its last few weeks, the six-month trial has passed technical tests and is awaiting the results of detailed market research.
DMC partnered with Dubai Media Incorporated, Abu Dhabi Media Company, and the UAE’s second telecom company ‘du’ to supply five hundred mobile users with Nokia handsets. Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld (DVB-H) technology allowed them to receive high-quality broadcasts of 12 channels on these mobiles.
“We focused on four segments of people: UAE Nationals, Arabs, Asians, and Westerners,” Dr. Amina Al Rustamani, Executive Director of Media TECOM Investments, told MEB Journal. The 12 channels were selected to appeal to all four groups.
“What we see is a very strong trend within all the segments,” said Al Rustamani. Market research is underway to probe user tastes and preferences, including channel choices and preferred viewing time and location.
Private players are also vying for a role in the emerging business. “I’ve been getting a lot of phone calls, not only from people interested in the service but also from podcasters, media agencies, [and] radio stations,” she said. “They are all offering their content, capacity, and services.”
On the mixed responses from the European public to DVB-H technology, Al Rustamani noted that Europe is a totally different market than the UAE or Middle East, and that mobile television is a new global service. “It is an evolving technology,” she said.
“Whatever decision you make right now, it will limit you in the future.”
The company is still studying how to charge consumers for the new service – by monthly fees, on-demand, or by time-slots – but it will depend “on what the size of the investment and the market is.” Al Rustmani said the next step will be to develop content specifically for mobile television. |
