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China said it has set a technical standard for broadcasting multimedia content such as television programs to mobile devices, in a move to boost the provision of mobile-TV services. The home-grown standard "is very important for the growth of our indigenous industry and multimedia broadcasts for mobile devices," the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television said on its Web site. The statement didn't give a name for the new standard, or provide further details. A news official for the agency, who gave her last name as Shang, said yesterday that the standard applies broadly to mobile devices, including mobile phones. The agency regulates China's broadcast sector. The agency's statement didn't say if this would be the only standard for mobile-multimedia broadcasts. The agency's move comes as China tries to kick start the development of its own technologies, including the third-generation, or 3G, mobile-phone technology called Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access, in a bid to stem patent payments to foreign companies. Chinese mobile carriers also are waiting for the Ministry of Information Industry, which regulates the telecommunications industry, to issue licenses for 3G mobile-phone service, which allows users to surf the Web at high speeds and also watch TV shows on their mobile phones. Competition for mobile-TV viewers, who can choose to watch TV using 3G mobile phones or the broadcast standard, could arise later, said Dave Carini, a Beijing-based analyst at Maverick China Research, a telecom, media and technology market-research firm. "You have the same capabilities over the same device. That's where the fight will take place," he said. He added that it is too early to assess the impact of the new standard on China's mobile operators. China Mobile Ltd. and China Unicom Ltd. are the country's two mobile carriers. |
