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Published on October 26, 2007

MCOT president Wasan Paileeklee told a press conference he expected 10 per cent of Thai mobile-phone users - a total of 40 million people - to view television via their mobile devices within the next year or two.

"We expect the growth to be rapid, especially if consumers don't have to pay, or pay only a little monthly," he said.

With technical assistance from SK Telecom, MCOT will in December begin trials of mobile-television technologies called Digital Video Broadcasting - Handheld (DVB-H) and Digital Video Broadcasting - Terrestrial (DVB-T). The test period will last two or three months and cover a limited area near MCOT headquarters in Bangkok.

Mobile phones that can receive the DVB-H signal are not yet available in Thailand, but Wasan said he was confident importers would bring in the phones once television programmes began broadcasting via the new technology.

DVB-T, meanwhile, requires a set-top box or digital television receiver that supports the digital broadcasting technology. Wasan expects the growth of DVB-H here to be faster.

"Consumers normally change their mobile phones more often than their television sets," he said.

Wasan said he expected MCOT to transform and complete its preparation to digital broadcasting platforms within two or three years. Digital broadcasting not only offers better picture quality, but also allows the broadcasting of many more channels compared with the current analogue system.

After completing the trials, which will involve technological and consumer aspects, Wasan said MCOT would consider how to proceed for a commercial run. The business model, he said, could be either subscription-based or advertising-based services.

Wasan said digital mobile-television broadcasting had witnessed fast growth in many markets. In Japan, viewership climbed from nothing to 10 million out of a total of 80 million mobile-phone users in less than two years. South Korea currently has 1.5 million viewers.

MCOT decided to use the DVB-H standard instead of other technology options for mobile TV - third generation, MediaFLO, T-DMB and S-DMB - because DVB-H has been more universally adopted globally, especially in Europe. Asean nations early this year also agreed to use DVB-H technology for their digital broadcasting, he said.

Initiated by Europe, DVB-H is also more suitable for adjusting to Thailand's PAL broadcasting system, which is the same as that found in Europe, not the NTSC used in the US and Japan, said Wasan.

Wasan said MCOT would consult with the National Telecommunications Commission on regulatory and other related issues before it starts a commercial digital television service.

MCOT's cooperation with SK Telecom has been introduced in conjunction with its Thai partner, MGPIE Advanced Supply (MAS).

MAS chief executive Sommas Lertwatanakul said Thailand lagged behind many countries, including Burma and Vietnam, and that he hoped this initiative with assistance from SK Telecom would provide a short cut for Thailand to leapfrog in technology.

Meanwhile, Wasan said MCOT would launch major new media initiatives next month, including new mobile-phone and Web-based digital services.

Listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, state-controlled MCOT runs Channel 9, Thai News Agency and several radio stations.

 Pichaya Changsorn

 The Nation