The Swiss regulator, which just to be confusing is called the Federal Communications Commission the same as the US regulator, but which is usually referred to as ComCom, has just put out its tender for buying a single 8 MHz TV channel to be used for mobile TV services in Switzerland. The tender has to be answered by the end of July, and although ComCom says it is recommending DVB-H, it says that the other technologies will be considered.
The big trial that has been running since 2005 on mobile TV in Switzerland is run by Nokia, Swisscom and TDC, with some involvement from Orange, and it’s almost certain that the three operators will bid collectively for the spectrum which would make any other single bidder unable to compete. These four already share data on a technical trial and on a second customer acceptance trial and given that the system has to be up and running in time for the European Football Championships hosted in Basle, Berne, Zurich and Geneva it is unlikely that anyone else will mount a meaningful bid.
A ten year license will be awarded in autumn 2007 and coverage for at least 30% of the Swiss population needs to be in place by the end of May 2008. At least 50% of the population needs to be reached by the end of 2012.
Comcom reckons that it can have a system which will offer at least 25 channels, and notes that Italy already has a DVB-H system and that Finland, France, Great Britain, Spain and Austria will all soon have one (not likely in the UK due to spectrum issues). The trial in Switzerland offered 17 TV channels, and 4 audio channels, used Harris transmitters and was centered in Berne.
The criteria for awarding the license will include having sufficient finance, providing the best coverage and rollout plan, and offering the best service ideas.
Comcom points out that Switzerland was allocated 14 full national channels for the dissemination of digital terrestrial broadcasts. Of these, 7 are expected to be used for digital radio and 7 for digital television. It looks like just one of the TV allocated multiplexes is being given over to DVB-H.
Qualcomm will almost certainly try to mount a bid for MediaFLO, but will require a partner, and the fact that T-DMB has more or less already failed in Europe using existing DAB multiplexes, might lead to a T-DMB group emerging, which will operate its own multiplex, far wider than the single 1.7 MHz DAB Multiplexes, as has happened in Korea. But our money is going on the incumbent and its partners and DVB-H.
Since Austria is partly hosting the same European Soccer championships, it too is trying to co-ordinate and create mobile TV service in the same timeframe, and will have to pass a new law which will come into effect in August, whereby half of a nationwide DVB-H multiplex will be made available for public service broadcasters with the other channels for pay TV being launched later. It is expected to reach 30 TV channels in total.
Siemens, now Nokia-Siemens Networks was key in trials in Austria, with the multiplex provided by the government with the only operators so far involved being 3 Group and Mobilkom.