MediaFLO™

TV to Go, Please

Answering the Question

How often have you asked yourself “What if…?” In 2002, some people inside Qualcomm asked, “What if we could create a better way to watch TV on mobile phones?”

Fortunately, unlike most “What if” questions that are asked and remain unanswered, Qualcomm responded with MediaFLO™, an end-to-end mobile TV solution.

“ At the time of development, we were under a tremendous amount of pressure. But we were motivated by the opportunity to do something truly innovative with an extremely talented group of people from all over Qualcomm. ”

- Walker Curtis

Staff Manager of Engineering

Early Challenges: Other Technologies, Naysayers

At the time of MediaFLO’s inception, some wireless carriers were already offering TV on mobile phones. These early mobile TV services over cellular networks were a starting point, but it was clear that improvements could be made to video and audio quality.

Higher quality broadcast services were also being tested, but they were adaptations of terrestrial technologies modified for the mobile environment, which compromised mobile reception and coverage.

Qualcomm saw an opportunity to improve the quality of services, perfect the overall user experience, and enable a viable business model for mobile TV.

Walker Curtis, staff manager of engineering at Qualcomm, recalls, “DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld) technology was already out there—it hadn’t been deployed commercially but there were trials going on. But DVB-H is based on DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcast-Terrestrial), which is better suited for broadcasting in a non-mobile environment. Rather than being tied to a legacy terrestrial TV standard, we wanted to start with a clean slate and create a new broadcast technology specifically designed for mobile video delivery.”

Qualcomm director of engineering An Chen adds, “There was a lot of doubt. When we announced our intentions, the industry thought all we could do was CDMA mobile phone technology. They asked us, ‘Why are you getting into mobile TV?’ Our answer was because we wanted to build the best technology possible.”

Make Mobile TV just like Regular TV

To ensure MediaFLO’s success, Qualcomm leaders emphasized that MediaFLO had to offer an experience far superior to what was currently available. It had to re-establish in people’s minds—particularly those who had tried lower quality mobile video services—what the ideal mobile TV experience should be. Specifically, mobile TV should be just like regular TV except on your phone.

Built from the Ground Up

MediaFLO is perhaps one of Qualcomm’s most comprehensive endeavors.

“MediaFLO was built from the ground up,” says Chen enthusiastically. “Qualcomm had to use knowledge from all its divisions to create one end-to-end solution.”

To launch MediaFLO, Qualcomm had to:

“We were so excited that we didn’t worry about how much hard work it would be. It was pure excitement,” reflects Chen. “We were given a blank sheet of paper—great for engineers—which gave us the opportunity to create and optimize the system.”

Adds Curtis, “At the time of development, we were under a tremendous amount of pressure. But we were motivated by the opportunity to do something truly innovative with an extremely talented group of people from all over Qualcomm. The pressure didn’t get to us because we had such a strong sense that we could, and therefore were going to, succeed.”

Defining the Mobile TV Experience

Today, MediaFLO technology is delivering on Qualcomm’s original goal of making the mobile TV experience just like regular TV on mobile phones through its wholly-owned subsidiary, FLO TV Incorporated, and its network in the United States.

FLO TV service delivers:

Making MediaFLO a reality was both challenging and rewarding for everyone involved. But perhaps one of the more rewarding moments was experienced by Chen.

After working many hours and weekends to get MediaFLO launched, Chen brought home an early MediaFLO-enabled phone to her son, to help explain why she worked so much. Says Chen, “He turned it on, said it was ‘cool’ and gave me a hug.”

To watch FLO TV, contact your AT&T or Verizon wireless carrier.

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