Getting in the FLO

Qualcomm's MediaFLO gains momentum with the help of Motorola.

MediaFLO USA has essentially doubled the number of handsets offering its mobile TV technology in the past two weeks. But considering the fact that this number rose from only two to four, the news might not be so earth-shattering.

“You can't effectively run a service with a limited selection of handsets,” said Avi Greengart, principal analyst of mobile devices for Current Analysis. “We've seen that time and time again that handset selection is absolutely critical to the success of any service. Therefore, more variety is a good thing.”

That said, the concurrent announcements of Motorola's first forward link only (FLO) handset, the Motorizr Z6tv, and LG's Voyager indicate that MediaFLO is starting to gain momentum among handset vendors. In its first six months of commercial operation, the network has had the support of only two handsets, the Samsung SCH-u620 and the LG VX9400.

Jan Lezny, vice president of business development for MediaFLO, said that consumers can expect to see more handsets on the market from several vendors between now and the holiday season, but the commitment of Motorola is significant as it shows that the top three U.S. handset makers are behind the technology.

MediaFLO offers live shows, clips and reruns from a multitude of traditional TV broadcasters, ranging from the major networks to Comedy Central and ESPN. That lineup, however, might not be compelling enough, Greengart said. Licensing and blackout issues, particularly with sporting events, are a concern that many consumers don't realize they will encounter, he said.

“If you buy one of these thinking you are going to be able to watch the Washington Redskins, you might discover that it is blacked out or not even available,” Greengart said. “Just because you have a Fox channel does not mean it's showing whatever is on the Fox network. It is going to be very disappointing to people.”

He said that this is an issue MediaFLO would say it is aware of and working on. “It just takes time to figure out what the right content mix is and the right educational efforts,” he said.