Alcatel and Samsung Electronics announced that they have signed an agreement to develop mobile handsets compatible with the evolution of the DVB-H standard in the S-Band. This is part of Alcatel's Unlimited Mobile TV solution.

Alcatel and Samsung will collaborate on interoperability testing in order to deliver a high quality Mobile TV service to end-users. Both companies will support the standardization process of this solution in the DVB Forum and join forces to market their combined solution. In a first step, the agreement covers Europe, where the S-band spectrum is available today.

The solution in the S-Band allows complete territory coverage for Mobile TV at the scale of a country or even a continent, including inside buildings. The solution is also compatible with DVB-H in UHF, which enables the development of dual-mode UHF/ S-Band Mobile TV terminals.

"Samsung values its new cooperation with Alcatel for handsets in the S-Band, as it opens the door to a significant new business opportunity for Samsung in Europe," stated Kwang Suk Hyun, Senior Vice President of Samsung. "S-Band is a solution of choice in Europe for Mobile TV deployment and Samsung intends to be a major player in this business."

"We welcome Samsung as a new key stakeholder in the S-Band ecosystem for broadcast Mobile TV, as they enjoy a track record in fast Mobile TV handset development and go-to-market capability," added Olivier Coste, President of Alcatel's mobile broadcast activities. "Samsung's endorsement of our hybrid mobile TV solution in the S-Band also demonstrates the attractiveness of this option for the Mobile TV industry at large."