Context TV

At the risk of appearing wishy-washy, last week's news that Qualcomm will build an $800 million national wireless media network over the next four or five years to broadcast video to mobile users is either a major step forward for a sector groping for the next great application or a continuation of society's focus on instant self-gratification at the expense of normal social interaction. It all depends on the context.

The network, which will be commercially available in 2006, is being launched through a Qualcomm subsidiary, MediaFLO USA, and will broadcast up to 100 channels of national and local content. While Qualcomm's plan has several unique aspects to it — operating as a shared resource for CDMA2000 and UMTS operators and using the 700 MHz band among them — the network's success will depend largely on the vendor and carriers keeping context in mind. Re-purposing cable TV fare to fit the small screens of wireless handsets and sending blasts to the mass market won't work. Given its relative novelty in the market, wireless video must target those with the greatest ability to pay a premium. Not unlike mobile service itself, Qualcomm initially should target corporate users and high-end consumers, shaping the content for those segments.

Any service using the Qualcomm network also needs to take into account the various surroundings that mobile users may be in as they watch. The small screen itself also will place limitations on content. National Geographic's “Wings over the Serengeti” may look spectacular on a 50-inch plasma screen, but it loses most of its impact on wireless handsets. At the same time, asking users to watch programs for a long periods of time may be pushing the limits of tolerance. Early experiments with mobile video have shown that quick clips of news and sports work well. Last week's announcement that the NBA would link with Nokia to deliver wireless video highlights is one good example of how to re-package content for mobile. Services using Qualcomm's network should also find their greatest success in pandering to the short attention span crowd.

And finally, carriers must decouple mobile video from the in-home TV viewing experience. Mobile video will be much more personal and interactive than sitting on the couch flipping through channels. One of the biggest failures of the first generation of interactive TV service was that they didn't take into account the behavioral patterns of consumers once their backsides hit the cushion. Mobile video users will have their own unique patterns.

Qualcomm has the opportunity to set the parameters by which the rest of the industry — and indeed the general public — views mobile video. While some will see it as a personal convenience, others will envision another barrier to social interaction. It's all in the context.