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China plans mobile TV for Olympics

CMMB (or S-TIMI) is the technology developed in China and selected by the State Administration for Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) as the main platform for delivering TV services to mobile devices. The commercial launch of mobile TV in China is anticipated to coincide with the Beijing Olympic Games - and Siano Mobile Silicon has signed a collaboration agreement with CMB Satellite, and Huaqi, a manufacturer of consumer multimedia products in China branded 'aigo', to provide advanced solutions the service, writes Fergal Ringrose.

CMMB (or S-TIMI) is the technology developed in China and selected by the State Administration for Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) as the main platform for delivering TV services to mobile devices. The commercial launch of mobile TV in China is anticipated to coincide with the Beijing Olympic Games – and Siano Mobile Silicon has signed a collaboration agreement with CMB Satellite, and Huaqi, a manufacturer of consumer multimedia products in China branded ‘aigo’, to provide advanced solutions the service, writes Fergal Ringrose.

Dave Shull, CEO of CMB Satellite, commented on the collaboration: “The Chinese mobile TV market represents a huge commercial potential. In order to secure the successful launch of CMMB, it is imperative that consumers will be able to receive the signal at extremely high quality, both indoors and out, using low power and inexpensive handheld devices. Siano is a mobile TV chip-maker that can provide leading MDTV solutions with excellent performance. Huaqi, with their aigo line of handheld devices, are experts in cost effective yet high quality mobile entertainment. They are an excellent partner for slim, user-friendly devices for CMMB users.”

Huaqi is the largest supplier of MP3/MP4 handheld devices in China. Its brand aigo holds 35 percent of the domestic market.

“We view CMMB as a major area of growth for Huaqi in the near future,” said Weiyong, general manager of Mobile Video and audio department, from Huaqi. “This new collaboration with CMB Satellite and Siano will help Huaqi fulfill its commitment to lead the market of CMMB-enabled devices.”

“As the global mobile TV market ramps up, all eyes are set on China as the economic powerhouse of tomorrow,” said Siano’s CEO, Alon Ironi. “The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing represent a major catalyst in terms of consumer adoption of MDTV in China. Through our collaboration with CMB Satellite and Huaqi, Siano is firmly committed to expanding its technology leadership into China and becoming the leading supplier of CMMB silicon.”