The market analyst firm suggests that one major problem is fragmentation, with each of the major geographic regions -- Europe, North America, and Asia -- developing different technology approaches. In-Stat analyst Gerry Kaufhold stated, "The opportunities appear to be huge, but the current level of fragmentation ... may make it difficult for anybody to reach the economies of scale required to make Mobile Video Services a truly worldwide phenomenon."
Other findings in the In-Stat report include:
- A wide range of devices is capable of receiving Mobile Video Services including handhelds, personal computers (PCs), Portable Media Players (PMPs), Navigation Systems, and others
- Mobile Internet Data Services can deliver video, creating a "bypass" to Pay-TV versions
- "Disruptive" approaches include: WiFi, WiMAX, WiBro, and "Synch & Go" services
- In-Band Cellular Mobile Video services deliver good quality video, but eventually their bandwidth will become constricted in high-usage areas
- All competing methods must still interoperate to provide a profitable mix of broadcast TV, premium TV, pay-per-view TV, on-demand Video, plus new interactivity features
- Broadcast-specific overlay networks include: DVB-H, MediaFLO, T-DMB, DVB-SH, DMB-S, ISDB-T One Seg, CMMB, and mobile versions of ATSC 8-VSB
- The worldwide value of the equipment used by transmission sites for broadcast-specific overlay networks is expected to be about $216 million in 2011
- China could dramatically boost this value if one of its proposed systems turns on earlier than expected
In-Stat says its report, "
Worldwide Mobile Video Infrastructure," covers the regional markets for Mobile Video Service Infrastructure and identifies six competing ways to deliver mobile video services. The study reportedly discusses six key "growth vectors," and includes forecasts for Mobile Video Infrastructure equipment by category and by region through 2011 with profiles of major vendors.
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