Sony & Ericsson extend their Co-operation to Mobile TV

After establishing a successful mobile telephone joint venture, called Sony Ericsson, the Swedish telecommunications equipment manufacturer, Ericsson and Japanese Electronics giant, Sony are now looking forward to jointly expand their horizon beyond phones to mobile and broadband TV.

At a joint Sony and Ericsson media conference in Stockholm, Ericsson's director of product strategy and portfolio management, Per Nordlof said they would jointly develop software to link their products through wireless networks, enabling mass number of global mobile phone users to watch TV broadcasts on their handsets.

"There is a strong confidence between Ericsson and Sony after the success of the handset business and we will work to develop software that connects the gadgets in the homes with the outer world," Nordlof told media persons at press conference.

"We see a mass market for mobile TV within two years," he added.

Stating Ericsson as a lead supplier of mobile TV networks and Sony as a leader in TV receiving equipment, Sony Europe's director of professional solutions, Eric Siereveld at the conference said the collaboration would improve “the strength of both companies.”

Stockholm, Sweden based Ericsson believes that in order to retain the customers, telecom operators will also have to include Broadband TV in their bunch of services. "Broadband TV will be an important factor. Most telecom operators realize they will have to offer TV in order not to lose customers," Nordlof asserted.

The duo have also announced a number of solutions based on the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA), a cross industry standard for sharing content across a home network, which are under development. The companies also exhibited how friends and family members can easily share film footage and pictures between a mobile and a regular TV with a press of a button.

DLNA based solutions are expected to hit the market by the second half of 2007, Nordlof said. To empower such DLNA-based home networks, the two companies are together developing new software.

Ericsson has also entered into a contract with Proximus, a Belgian phone operator, to provide solution for mobile TV broadcasts. Sony Ericsson is the world's fourth-largest handset maker.