Maverick China Research - Maverick China Research

It was recently reported that China will "force operators to use a homegrown mobile TV standard, STiMi (which stands for Satellite Terrestrial Interactive Multi-service Infrastructure)." As was the case for WAPI and for TD-SCDMA (two other Chinese technology standards that the Chinese government is helping to develop), the Chinese government is aiming to 1) reduce reliance on foreign technologies and thus lower patent fees Chinese companies have to pay in the long run, 2) develop a globally accepted technology standard and receive licensing fees for it, and 3) show the world how technologically advanced and great China has become.

Under the newly announced regulations, mobile TV operators Shanghai Media Group, CCTV, CRI, and CNR, which we previously discussed in August 2006, will have to adapt their current mobile TV platforms to STiMi, as will China Mobile and China Unicom, which have already launched mobile TV services.

It remains unclear, however, whether STiMi, which uses satellite feeds to broadcast a mobile TV signal, will be the only mobile TV standard used in China. Currently, other mobile TV standards being tested in China include T-MMB (another Chinese mobile TV standard), Europe’s DVB-H, Qualcomm’s MediaFLO, and South Korea’s T-DMB.

Based on the slow development and adoption of both WAPI and TD-SCDMA, it is far from a sure thing that STiMi-based mobile TV services will be launched in the near future. Expect further delays, vague regulatory updates, and continued lobbying by supporters of the other mobile TV standards over the ensuing months. New government regulations change all the time in China, so stay tuned.