The Mobile Digital TV Alliance Publishes Implementation Guidelines to Ensure Interoperability for DVB-H Systems in North America; Alliance Reaffirms Commitment to DVB-H and Delivers Specifications Within Eight Months of Founding.

LOS ANGELES -- The Mobile Digital TV Alliance (MDTVA) today announced that its members have approved the first set of implementation guidelines. This reference set will assist operators, device manufacturers, and others across the industry with the implementation of DVB-H as a standard for mobile digital TV in North America. The MDTVA is committed to driving DVB-H technology in North America, and the on time publication of the first phase of implementation guidelines is a testament to that dedication.

The guidelines are intended to facilitate interoperability among the many mobile digital TV solutions by defining a practical and extensible methodology consisting of DVB-H implementation processes and common functional elements that the industry can adopt. This will help create high quality mobile digital television solutions that are consistent with each implementation. In addition, it promotes the adoption rate of DVB-H in North America as now the market will have a better understanding of whether mobile digital TV solutions proposed by operators have the necessary interoperable components to reliably implement an application based on DVB-H.

"These guidelines are an important step towards adoption of the DVB-H for those in the North American market who want to pursue business beyond what current standards and mobile digital TV solutions can provide," said Yoram Solomon, president of the Mobile DTV Alliance, and Director of Strategic Marketing and Industry Relations for Mobile Connectivity Solutions, Texas Instruments. "The MDTVA's rapid growing membership demonstrates the sense of urgency felt by the industry as a whole, for a standard that crosses many technologies. Our prompt publication of these implementation guidelines is a major milestone and should help rapid deployment of DVB-H based mobile digital TV solutions across the industry."

The implementation guidelines are intended to serve multiple possible networks in North America and, therefore, have several optional recommendations, depending on the selection of spectrum and media to be delivered over the networks. The follow-on interoperability test plans will be targeting specific networks and assure interoperability of all components of those networks.

The key components of the guidelines are:

--Transmission parameters

--Network and transport protocols

--Interactive operation

--Electronic Service Guide

--Content and formats

--Service and content protection

--Mobile Personal Video Recording

--Device Management

--Special services

Additional information is available at www.mdtvalliance.org/guidelines.

About the DVB-H Standard

DVB-H is an open procedure standard developed by the DVB Project and enjoys broad industry support with more than 100 companies working on DVB-H components, devices and services today. The open approach of the DVB-H standard nurtures flexibility of business models, competition and sales opportunities for the value chain. The DVB-H standard incorporates OFDM air interface technology with good spectral efficiency, immunity to multi-path fading and good mobile performance.

About the Mobile DTV Alliance

The Mobile DTV Alliance is an open industry consortium that focuses on promoting the best practices and open standards to deliver premium-quality broadcast television to mobile devices in North America. The Alliance includes leading companies from across the mobile business system and entertainment value chain. Promoter members include Intel, Microsoft, Modeo, Motorola, Nokia and Texas Instruments. For additional information on the Mobile DTV Alliance, please visit: http://www.mdtvalliance.org.