Read our full Mobile World Congress coverage IPWireless is planning to add video to mobile phones, including the iPhone, through small, low cost dongles using the recently approved IBM multimedia broadcast specification.
IMB was approved by the GSMA in September and pilot trials are starting this year with networks in Western Europe, says John Hambidge, VP of marketing at IPWireless. Dongles will appear next year, he said, using silicon from IPWireless.
"The new operating system 3.0 enables hardware access and IMB is very efficient," said. "Our ASIC is 5mm x 5mm and because it reuses the 3G antenna, getting it out looks like and FM accessory so there's a lot of opportunities on existing handsets. Because it reuses the RF in the handset the increased cost is far less than for other solutions."
The main driver is providing broadcast video without clogging up the 3G bandwidth by using an existing 5MHz band, and that market is in Western Europe, he says.
The company has launched an interoperability test (IOT) platform to test networks and equipment using IMB. The platform will allow device and network infrastructure vendors to accelerate the time to market of their commercial IMB solutions.
The company is also working with the Handheld Group on a range of ruggedized mobile PCs that which integrate IPWireless' 3GPP mobile broadband technology, for use on public safety and government networks. IPWireless already supplies network equipment for public safety in the US.
The first device from the partnership was launched at the show. The Algiz 7 is a rugged, Windows-based 7" widescreen tablet that meets military standards for humidity, vibration, drops and extreme temperatures.
Nick Flaherty, Barcelona