A mobile TV service using DVB-H, a mobile version of the technology used for Freeview digital TV, will be piloted in Oxford from October by O2 and Arqiva (formerly known as NTL Broadcast). 

Around 350 testers will use Nokia 7710 phones (see picture) to access any of 16 channels covering music, sport, news, comedy, soaps and drama. The idea is to investigate the viewing habits of people in the move, though how realistic the results will be with pilot content is open to question.

Mobile multimedia can make much freer use of text than is feasible on TV because it is easier to read close-up on small screens. It could therefore evolve into a medium in its own right with elements of traditional broadcasting content, newspapers, and the web.

The TV viewing window on the 7710 does leave space for text on the side, which could be used for interactive adverts that could in turn develop into more innovative uses of the medium.

DVB-H uses clever power-saving techniques to reduce battery drain, including switching on only during the one-sixteenth time slice carrying the channel being viewed. However it is rivalled by DMB, the multimedia version of DAB audio broadcasting.

Both can do the job and which wins out will depend as much on industry politics and spectrum allocation as on technology. But improving battery life will also be critical to their success.

Orange  launched what it called a TV service in May, but this uses the 3G signal and is not broadcast. The 02 model could generate revenues from adverts and by providing a back channel for purchases and other interactivity.