Open Mobile Alliance Releases Globally Interoperable Mobile TV Standard

The Open Mobile Alliance (OMA), an international specifications setting body, announces the public availability of its Mobile Broadcast (BCAST) Version 1.0 Candidate Enabler Release. The specification is an open global standard for interactive mobile TV as well as on-demand video services, and is adaptable to any IP-based mobile content delivery technology. Currently, OMA’s BCAST 1.0 can be adapted to broadcast systems like DVB-H as well as cellular systems like 3GPP MBMS, 3GPP2 BCMCS and mobile unicast streaming systems.

Over 35 companies have actively contributed to OMA’s new specification, setting the global market requirements of the end result. “The regulatory, cultural and network environments for TV are very complex around the world,” says Jari Alvinen, Chairman of the Board, OMA. “Release of this specification demonstrates the effectiveness of OMA efforts in the introduction of globally interoperable mobile TV services. The OMA BCAST Enabler opens the door for all potential players in the Mobile TV Value chain to compete and differentiate their products and services.”

“The OMA BCAST specification suite accommodates several bearer network technologies and supports multiple business models,” says Sungoh Hwang, Chairman of the OMA BCAST Working Group. “The specification equally caters to deployments driven by broadcasters as well as those driven by operators. Users can now have both interactive and simple broadcast mobile TV, buffered infotainment content on-demand, and any of the many new services that are currently being developed in the market.”

OMA BCAST 1.0 Candidate Enabler Release Features

– Highly functional Service Guide, allowing flexible deployments
– Service and Content Protection using OMA DRM 2.0 or 3GPP/3GPP2 Smartcard
– Distribution Solution for both real-time and non-real-time media content
– Service Interactivity enabling active user involvement with services
– Network agnostic for both IP-based broadcast and cellular bearers

To date, OMA has published 51 Enabler Releases. The OMA continuously operates an interoperability program to validate Enabler specifications, as well as the implementations of member products and services. Using a clear working process, the Enabler Release Program is designed to deliver two key milestones for each enabler:

A Candidate Enabler Release (CER) delivers an approved set of open technical specifications that can be implemented in products and solutions, and then tested for interoperability.

An Approved Enabler Release (AER) represents Candidate Enabler Releases that have gone through the Interoperability Program (IOP) of OMA. The IOP tests interoperability between different member company’s implementations — either within the OMA or through other means.