The European Commission (EC) has decided to add the Digital Video Broadcasting Handheld (DVB-H) standard to the European Union's (EU) list of official standards, which constitutes the basis for encouraging the harmonised offer of telecommunications throughout the EU.
This measure represents a new step in creating a single market for mobile television in Europe, providing operators and the industry with a market of a scale necessary for the launch, on mass, of mobile television services throughout Europe and allowing all European citizens access to the television service in any European country.
Following the publication of the EC decision in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU), the Member States shall incentivise its use, with the Commission considering 2008 as a crucial year for the adoption of mobile television in the EU, given that the sporting events scheduled for the year – European Football Championships and the Summer Olympic Games – offer a unique opportunity for raising awareness among consumers of the new services.
