14 DAY TRIAL // After having resigned, Modeo's president, Michael Schueppert, was replaced by the vice president of marketing and business development, Michael Ramke who has been an executive with Crown Castle, owner of Mondeo, since 1996.
While under Schueppert's management, the company was unable to find a carrier partner for the U.S mobile-TV services, Ramke appears to be pretty confident that he will be able to do what his predecessor didn't. "Our New York City trial will show the world that we've lined up content deals with major brands and we're going beyond a traditional trial network, we're offering commercial grade service," Ramke proclaimed.
The company was planning the trial of a mobile TV service in New York City, available to only a select group of users, by the end of the year, but now the launch has been delayed until the first quarter of next year.
Unlocked GSM handsets, supplied by Taiwanese manufacturer HTC will be offered for Modeo TV network access. The handhelds will work on T-Mobile and Cingular Wireless networks and users would only have to insert the T-Mobile or Cingular SIM cards they already have into the phones to be able to use Modeo's service.
While Verizon Wireless has announced their adoption of Qualcomm Inc.'s MediaFlo, other wireless carriers are close to doing the same. Another company, Hirewire, has made plans for a DVB-H broadcast trial as well.
Modeo has also announced that it plans to launch the mobile broadcast network without the support of any mobile operator although Ramke also pointed out that "Modeo's focus continues to be on securing a wholesale partnership with the wireless operators."