Expected to begin in the summer of 2006, the trial will feature 10 channels of BSkyB content on a small number of non-commercial devices provided by Qualcomm. The trial is intended to allow BSkyB to evaluate the performance capabilities of FLO, an open, cellular network-agnostic wireless multicasting technology.
FLO technology, a key component of the MediaFlo system, is an air-interface technology designed to increase capacity and coverage, and reduce cost for multimedia content delivery to mobile handsets.
Qualcomm claims that FLO technology will offer several advantages over other mobile multicast technologies, including higher-quality video and audio, faster channel switching time, superior mobile reception, optimized power consumption and greater capacity.
Sky’s multi-channel television platform in the UK and Ireland has approximately 21 million viewers in 8.1 million households. BSkyB’s channels are available in 10.8 million households through cable and digital terrestrial television.
