Nokia and Vietnam Multimedia Corporation announce first live DVB-H mobile TV service launch for Asia Pacific

Among first Nokia commercial deals worldwide, Vietnam Multimedia Corporation DVB-H roll-out to deliver Mobile TV services by end-2006

September 08, 2006 - Espoo, Finland and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - Global mobility leader Nokia and Vietnam Multimedia Corporation (VTC) today announced a jointly-inked deal to launch commercial mobile broadcast TV services based on Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H) technology in two key Vietnamese cities by end-2006.

The agreement, Nokia’s first commercial mobile TV service rollout in the Asia Pacific region, is also among the first of Nokia’s commercial rollouts globally. Nokia is currently spearheading several trials in Asia Pacific, Europe and North America countries.

VTC, Vietnam’s leading national broadcaster and operator in digital broadcasting, will make available its mobile PayTV services to consumer subscribers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City by end-2006. Consumers in both cities will be able to enjoy seven digital TV channels as well as a video-on-demand service from a catalog of selected titles offered by VTC. The service is available on Nokia’s Nseries DVB-H enabled multimedia devices, delivered by the Nokia N92 which will make its debut in Vietnam for this purpose.

Le Doan Quan, Director, VTC mobile TV company said: “The open technology platform solution provided by Nokia resonates with VTC’s vision of increasing choice and participation for consumers and other technology providers. Nokia implementation uses the OMA DRM approach for services and content delivery protection thus enabling many additional possibilities such as delivery of ringtones, logos, music, videoclips, games and large file applications, in addition to the ordinary TV programmes. This equips VTC with a cost-effective and future-proof platform for driving the development of the vibrant multimedia ecosystem in Vietnam.”

Jawahar Kanjilal, Director, Experiences, Nokia Multimedia Asia Pacific said: “We are delighted to be part of this great development in Vietnam. This marks the beginning of exciting times in the Asia Pacific broadcasting industry, bringing digital television to consumers’ pockets and ushering in a new era of personal interactive entertainment. The Nokia N92 multimedia computer will be a key element of this consumer offering, and we look forward to the continuing development of mobile TV services in the region.”

Under the agreement, Nokia and VTC are committed to jointly propel the consumer adoption of mobile entertainment services in Vietnam. After taking mobile TV services commercial in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh in 2006, VTC plans to extend the coverage to a national level over a two-year period.

DVB-H is a robust broadcast-to-mobile technology which provides excellent reception of the ordinary television broadcasting in digital format on mobile phones and television screens mounted on-board public and private means of transportation. DVB-H was chosen based on its merit to support mobility, efficient power management, and DVD quality audio and video services without disturbance.

In the Asia Pacific, Nokia spearheaded several mobile TV technology showcases in countries such as Singapore (with Mediacorp & M1), Malaysia (Astro & Maxis), as well as in India and Taiwan. As an industry leader, Nokia also participated in many industry-wide events demonstrating simulcast mobile TV content together with players in the media and entertainment industries. In Australia, Nokia is also in the midst of a DVB-H trial first started last July 2005 with the Bridge Networks & Telstra consumers in Sydney. In Europe, Finland, Digita, supported by Nokia, has been awarded an operator license and is working to debut DVB-H mobile TV services soon. Italy has also launched a DVB-H service, while many other regions in the world are expected to follow suit with the commercialization activity once their own trials are concluded.

Notes to the editors
DVB-H technology enables the TV service you are familiar with at home to be broadcast to your mobile device. DVB-H provides a superior end-user experience in the mobile environment with excellent picture and reduced battery consumption. Up to 50 TV channels can be delivered with low cost, over one network. With extensive pilots of broadcast mobile TV currently taking place across the globe, involving leading broadcasters, mobile operators, broadcast network operators and handset manufacturers, the market for commercial broadcast services is expected to grow throughout 2006.

What is Mobile TV Broadcasting?
Mobile TV Broadcasting allows the user to watch their favourite TV programmes such as dramas, news, music, sports and documentaries on their mobile device. The service works by receiving a digital TV broadcast signal optimized for mobile devices from the air in much the same way as televisions at home do. Channel guides will also be broadcast allowing users to keep abreast of the latest programmes on air. Broadcast Mobile TV is not the same as a streaming video service over 3G or GPRS where each recipient gets a separate copy of the program stream. Rather, one simultaneous TV stream can be received at any time by any number of users enjoying high picture quality and low battery power consumption.

More information about Mobile TV can be obtained from www.nokia.com/mobiletv.

About VTC
Vietnam Television Technology Investment and Development Company (VTC) is the leading and sole state-owned enterprise under Vietnam Television. It was established in 1996 as a result of the amalgamation between VTC’s predecessor, Intedico, with two other companies (Telexim and Ratimex) and is now the principal provider of and investor in television and radio equipment and technology for the whole country. VTC prides itself on employing more than 4000 people with Master and Ph.D degrees, the rest having B.Sc and Associate Diplomas, and is working towards achieving the strategic goal of Vietnam Television:

The Vietnam Television Technology Investment and Development Company (VTC) has received permission from the Government Office to provide DVB-T broadcast services nationwide. VTC has piloted broadcasting local and international DVB-T programs for three years, now the station to broadcast to all 40 Vietnamese provinces and cities.

About Nokia
Nokia is a world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth and sustainability of the broader mobility industry. Nokia connects people to each other and the information that matters to them with easy-to-use and innovative products like mobile phones, devices and solutions for imaging, games, media and businesses. Nokia provides equipment, solutions and services for network operators and corporations.

Contact Information

Annette Pau

Communications

Nokia, Asia Pacific

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