Qualcomm could push MediaFLO at data offload
As its mobile TV hopes fade, it sees opportunity in carriers' need to reduce traffic
Published: 9 September, 2010
READ MORE: Spectrum | Qualcomm | Media FLO
Earlier this year, Qualcomm indicated it would seek buyers for its MediaFLO mobile TV unit, having failed to make the system an international standard. The firm's wholesale network in 700MHz is used by Verizon and AT&T, but elsewhere it has made little headway. Just last month, the Japanese authorities chose a mobile broadcast standard supported by NTT DoCoMo, ISDB-Tmm, rather than MediaFLO, as chosen by rival cellco KDDI. But the CDMA giant has not given up on FLO, but instead is looking for new applications for its efficient network usage.
In particular, it may tap into carriers' desperation to offload data traffic from their hard-pressed 3G networks. During Qualcomm's IQ 2010 analyst event in London this week, it said it could use MediaFLO for datacasting, allowing regular traffic to be taken off the 3G system. Qualcomm has always said the FLO technology would support other uses other than mobile TV, but initially was focused on broadcast because of a high level of operator interest.
As reported by Slashgear, the system could now be turned to maintaining cached data on mobile devices, reducing network traffic and speeding up browsing.
In July, CEO Paul Jacobs admitted MediaFLO had failed to live up to expectations and the firm was "exploring a number of alternatives", including joint ventures, or sale of the business or just its valuable spectrum holdings.
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