Globe Telecom not keen on mobile TV

Filipino mobile operator Globe Telecom has said it is wary about offering mobile TV services in the country despite a recent edict from regulators confirming the selection of the Japanese platform as the standard for Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) broadcasts in the country. Globe president Ernest Cu is quoted as saying the firm’s lack of interest to date in mobile TV is not merely to do with the question of DTT accreditation, but rather a problem of a lack of suitable handsets and technical limitations on its 3G network which Cu says is ‘choppy’ when streaming TV broadcasts. ‘The standard is not relevant. It all boils down to handsets. Until now, there are not a lot of handsets in the market [capable of receiving mobile TV]. But at around PHP5,000 to PHP10,000 each, those on offer are quite few and expensive,’ said Cu.