A recent study from Juniper Research reports that WiFi services, rather than the data-constrained 3G networks, will push the mobile TV industry to $7 billion in revenue by 2015. But even though some users will use WiFi to watch TV programs and movies, continued the report, watching on a mobile phone will take time to catch on as the 3G networks run into capacity constraints.
WiFi availability will play an important role in making mobile TV viable. The downside is that the range for WiFi is short, making mobile TV away from the coffee house unlikely. The increased availability of 3G networks could change the picture, but for now, the cost of a handset plus that of a mobile TV service can narrow the user base for mobile TV. Pricing the data properly is another issue; the report recommended that carriers alter the way they price data to reflect the costs.
