Netherlands : Dutch mobile users can now watch a choice of 10 television channels offering the highest quality broadcast thanks to the MobielTV service launched nationwide by telecommunications group KPN. Nokia and Nokia Siemens Networks have joined forces to enable this service with their leading-edge mobile TV technology, services and expertise.

The MobielTV service initially offers 10 television channels with high-quality images. The service is made available through a broadcast network based on the Digital Video Broadcast for Handheld (DVB-H), the European standard for mobile television, and can be watched on DVB-H-enabled mobile devices. 

Nokia and Nokia Siemens Networks provided KPN with a turnkey head-end solution based on open standards to launch the broadcasts – including the Mobile Broadcast Solution and a broad range of services like consulting, platform integration, project management, support services and turnkey implementation.

”We are glad to be among the first to launch mobile television broadcasts in Europe,“ said Bart van Ierschot, KPN Broadcast Services Director. “This timely launch has been possible thanks to our choice of partners – Nokia and Nokia Siemens Networks, who are market leaders in providing open standard DVB-H service  platforms.”

With MobielTV service, featuring high-quality images and sound, the viewers have a choice of 10 channels: Nederland 1, Nederland 3, RTL4, RTL24, SBS6, Jetix/Veronica, MTV Music, Discovery Channel, Xite and Nick Toons. More channels are expected to be included in the offering in the future.

KPN is one of the first mobile TV service providers in Europe and the first to offer a nationwide broadcast coverage.

In March, the European Commission added DVB-H to the EU List of Standards, which serves as a basis for encouraging harmonized provision of telecommunications services across Europe. The move helps establish a single market for mobile TV in the EU enabling all citizens to watch TV on the move.

The solutions offered by Nokia and Nokia Siemens Networks are based on the open DVB-H standards. They allow short implementation time as well as end-to-end capability, combining the equipment, services and devices to create a unique solution for mobile TV service providers.

Nokia Siemens Networks leads the world in the number of commercial launches for mobile TV broadcasting (DVB-H) including Finland, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and most recently Switzerland.