MediaFLO Coming to San Francisco in 2009
As any reader of this blog knows, I’m not entirely sold on mobile TV, and I’m especially skeptical of Qualcomm’s MediaFLO network. But earlier this week I chatted with Matt Milne, SVP of marketing and sales for MediaFLO USA, to see if he could change my mind. The good news is that those in San Francisco, Boston, Miami and Houston who want to watch broadcast TV on their mobile phones (and who are on the Verizon or AT&T network) will be able to do so next year. The bad news is they will still have to pay $15 a month for the privilege.
Milne said that once broadcasters are forced to switch over to DTV in February, Qualcomm will have the spectrum to offer MediaFLO service in those four markets and expand its coverage in others. He also acknowledged that the broadcasters represent potential competition for MediaFLO, since they’ve pulled together to create their own over-the-air mobile TV standard designed to deliver free mobile TV to everything from Sony Watchman-type devices to phones.