Telegent Systems has announced availability of a free-to-air TV handset from Gionee that leverages Telegent’s mobile TV technology. Gionee’s TV phone, the Gionee A10, allows consumers to receive the same live, familiar television programming that is broadcast over free-to-air channels while they are on the go. The phone is immediately available through Acorn International’s TV shopping network and online at
http://www.chinadrtv.com. Gionee also plans to launch several more models of free-to-air TV phones this year, including models with large screen sizes and a model targeting women users.
This announcement follows on the heels of a SINO Market Research survey that indicates that the analog TV feature will be the major selling point for mobile phones in China this year. According to Kirby Deng, deputy general manager of SINO Market Research, analog TV phones will account for around 15% of handset sales in China in 2008. A report from analyst firm In-Stat confirms strong demand worldwide, predicting that the number of analog mobile TV viewers will overtake digital mobile TV viewers in 2009.
Because free-to-air mobile TV leverages the existing television ecosystem, mobile TV solutions can be made available today without waiting for spectrum allocation or the development of standards, infrastructure and content associated with digital deployments.
The Gionee mobile TV handset joins more than fifty models of Telegent-enabled handsets available on the market. Telegent’s single-chip mobile TV receivers can be found in handsets sold in Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa. China-based partners, in addition to Gionee, include leading OEM providers such as ZTE, Konka and Skyworth.
Telegent
