Dubai: 15 August, 2007 - Dubai Media City (DMC), a member of Dubai Holding announced today the successful trial launch of DVB-H Mobile TV with 12 channels for the first time in the UAE. The service is currently being tested by 500 active mobile users.

DMC announced its partnership with the UAE's second telecom operator, du, and the country's largest broadcast companies, Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI) and Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC), during last year in GITEX to conduct the DVB-H trial. DVB-H is a new promising   unique mobile TV technology which will allow users to receive high quality broadcast through their mobile handsets. The objective is to study the technical and commercial feasibility of DVB-H services and prepare the ground for its commercial roll out.

The trial is also aimed at identifying the content and channel choices of the users along with timings/ location preference. Further advanced analysis will conclude in-depth opportunities for creating refined and customised packages for Mobile TV users.

The commercial trial, started in June, has been licensed by the Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRA). A new DVB-H SFN (single frequency network consisting of three transmission sites) has been deployed with the support of leading international experts from R & S (Rohde & Schwarz), mobile handset manufacturer Nokia and T-Systems, a division of Deutsche Telekom, providing good outdoor and indoor coverage across Dubai. In the first two months the technical evaluation on the system, handsets and the signal coverage was successfully completed.

The market research, led by Pan Arab Research Center (PARC), started early this month. The Mobile TV trial content includes an interesting mix of genres such as sports, music, news, business and entertainment. The 12 TV channels presently broadcasted are Dubai TV, Dubai Sports, Abu Dhabi TV, MBC, Al Arabiya, BBC World, ART Prime Sports, Bloomberg, Zee Arabiya, Rotana Moussica, Zee News and Star Plus.

DMC has distributed 500 Nokia handsets (models N92 & N77) to individuals of different nationalities, backgrounds, and age groups, selected from the cosmopolitan fabric of Dubai for market research.

Dr. Amina Al Rustamani, Executive Director of Media, TECOM Investments, said: "The initiative is part of our larger mission to introduce next-generation technologies in the region to advance the Middle East's media industry. DMC is proud to bring together some of the global media, telecom and technology leaders for this pioneering venture. The real value of this trial is to provide new platforms for both media and technology partners to showcase their offerings and expand their market share using UAE's advanced infrastructure.

"The initial phase of the trial looks promising and the feedback on the content is positive. DVB-H is set to be one of the technologies that will define the future of media and entertainment."

The DVB-H initiative brings together the expertise of leading media and telecom players. DMC will leverage its strong links with the media sector through its current business partners as well as its resources to further build the DVB-H partnership.

Riyad Al Mubarak, CEO of ADMC, said: "Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC) has been involved in this initiative from an early stage, because we seek to promote new media platforms as key-components for content delivery. We welcome this initiative and we see the DVB-H technology as an opportunity which will enable a wider audience to access quality media content on their handsets.

"We see the trial as an important step in a new market, and we are looking forward to the results. It will provide us with a deeper understanding of the audience preference. And the audience response will determine the way forward for the growing mobile TV market."

Hussain Ali Lootah, CEO of Dubai Media Incorporated, said: "DMI has been involved in this trial from the beginning, as our strategy is to utilise cutting edge technologies to deliver quality content anywhere, anytime and on any device. We have made available Dubai TV and Dubai Sports for the trial because we believe DVB-H technology presents us with a great opportunity to gauge viewer preference.

"The region already leads in mobile penetration and the broadcasting-telecom convergence will be instrumental in driving future mobile television subscriptions."

The introduction of DVB-H promises to revolutionise how, when and where people view television in the UAE. In addition, it throws open the possibility of a whole host of on-demand and interactive services related to infotainment, news and sports.

Osman Sultan, CEO of du, said: "DVB-H is a promising mobile broadcast avenue and we are very proud to be providing technology support to the trial. du is committed to ushering in new and innovative technology such as DVB-H for readily and easily accessible infotainment."

Currently, the talk of the global technology world, DVB-H is short for Digital Video Broadcasting - Handheld, a suite of internationally accepted, open standards for digital television maintained by the DVB Project, a global industry consortium with more than 300 members. Trials and pilot services in key global markets have endorsed the superior technical capabilities and economic advantages of DVB-H. The DVB-H standard, which enables broadcast on Ultra High Frequency (UHF), can be received on mobiles and handheld devices that are DVB-H compatible.

-Ends-

For further information please contact:
Zeba Ahmad
Associate Account Manager
JIWIN
The Public Relations Arm of Dubai Press Club
T:+9714 361 3 333
F:+9714 368 8 001
Email: Zeba.ahmad@jiwin.ae

© Press Release 2007