The first consumer trial of mobile TV in Ireland got underway in Dublin Wednesday. The trial is being conducted by the mobile operator O2 and the transmission company Arqiva. The 350 participants, selected from the O2 customer base in Greater Dublin, will have access to a package of 13 channels including RTE1, RTE2, TV3, Sky Sports, Sky News, Setanta Sports and The Discovery Channel. Interactive music and games channels will also be available.
The DVB-H mobile TV standard will be used for the trial. Signals will be received on the Nokia N92 handset, which has replaced the 7710, used in earlier trials such as those in Oxford.
The trial will run until August 31, 2007 and will look at how consumers respond to the next generation TV services they are presented. An earlier trial took place last year during the Ryder Cup held at the K-Club. (JC)