Tags:China Mobile | SMG | GSM | CDMA | GPRS | WAP

Dragon New Media, a subsidiary of China''s second largest broadcaster Shanghai Media Group, has partnered with Shanghai Unicom to provide a mobile TV service, an official from the company said today.

"Shanghai Unicom is Dragon New Media''s new partner for mobile TV service. We provide the content while they provide the technical platform for the service. At the same time, our cooperation with China Mobile continues," Wu Chunlei, CEO of Dragon New Media, told Interfax.

Dragon New Media provides a mobile TV service based on streaming media technology. Its parent company, SMG, received the country''s first mobile TV license in April of 2005, and kicked off a nationwide mobile TV service in partnership with China Mobile in September of that year.

Shanghai Unicom said its mobile TV service will be available to both its GSM and CDMA subscribers. Live content from SMG''s most popular TV channels, such as Dragon TV and China Business News, will be offered through the mobile TV service, as well as news and financial information, and video-on-demand content related to movies, music and lifestyle.

In addition, Shanghai Unicom''s subscribers will be able to watch SMG''s reality TV shows "My Hero" and "My Show," as well as movie content provided by the Shanghai Film Group Corporation, on their mobile phones.

Shanghai Unicom is currently offering a free trial of the mobile TV service. Its CDMA subscribers can find a shortcut to the service from
the company''s wireless Internet platform, while its GSM subscribers can access the service through the site Nuvi.cn.Mobile TV services incur large GPRS or CDMA 1x wireless Internet service
traffic volume.

Shanghai Unicom provides both GPRS and CDMA 1x services. Last week, the company announced that on June 1 it will begin to charge non-package CDMA 1x wireless Internet service fees by the minute instead of by traffic volume. The carrier also added two low-cost CDMA 1x packages in
which users can purchase a certain number of hours for a fixed price. These new policies will provide savings to users of high traffic volume data services, since they will be charged based on usage time instead of by traffic volume, and will potentially boost Shanghai Unicom''s mobile TV service.

Meanwhile, Shanghai Mobile, which is China Mobile''s subsidiary in Shanghai and Shanghai Unicom''s main competitor, announced that it will cancel its unlimited wireless application protocol (WAP) access package on June 1. This move may push users away from high traffic-volume data services, such as mobile TV services based on streaming media technology, since they will now have to pay based on the volume of traffic, instead of being able to purchase an unlimited amount of volume for a fixed price.

"Shanghai Mobile''s policy is a temporary one. It will issue a new policy," Wu from Dragon New Media said.

Dragon New Media has not reached any agreement with Shanghai Mobile about GPRS fees, but will make an announcement if any decision is made, he said.

Meanwhile, another source from Dragon New Media told Interfax today that the company will launch a new mobile TV news channel called "The Fifth Media" next week, featuring 24-hour live content.


Source: interfax