Although some studies have indicated that the demand for mobile TV would be low, Britain's O2 Plc is claiming that feedback from customer trials has demonstrated strong demand for such a service. The company started TV trials using the DVB-H technology in Oxford last September, and claims that 76 percent of 375 customers participating in the trial said they would take up the service within a year.
Last week, a separate trial by BT Group Plc and Virgin Mobile using a rival technology revealed that two-thirds of 1,000 users would be prepared to pay up to 8 pounds a month to view live television on mobile phones.
O2 and Arqiva said the trials had clearly shown that demand existed for mobile TV, and now want UK regulator Ofcom to release the UHF spectrum required for the service early.