MobiTV expands to Windows Mobile

MobiTV, a mobile TV service provider, has expanded its software to include devices that run Windows Mobile 5.0, Microsoft's operating system for cell phones and handhelds.

The service for Windows Mobile gadgets, announced Thursday, costs $9.99 a month, in addition to the cost of an unlimited monthly data service from the consumer's cell phone provider. MobiTV is a TV broadcast service that lets cell phone and smart phone owners watch live television, as well as on-demand content, in full-screen format.

People can subscribe to the service through MobiTV's Web site and download the software directly from their phones. The Windows Mobile 5.0 version is also available via Handango.

MobiTV is currently available in the U.S. to Alltel, Cingular Wireless and Sprint Nextel customers, as well as Verizon International users in Puerto Rico. In May, MobiTV also made a deal with AT&T to offer its services via laptops over the AT&T Wi-Fi network. While the channel lineup can vary from carrier to carrier, generally MobiTV offers most of the big players: ABC News Now, CNBC, CNN, Fox News, ESPN 3GTV, MSNBC and NBC Mobile.

MobiTV now includes compatibility for smart phones such as the Palm Treo 700p, Treo 650 and Treo 600, the Sprint 6700 and the Motorola Q. The service is also available for compatible cell phones.

In 2005, 1.1 million people in the U.S. purchased mobile video content. That number is expected to grow to more than 30 million people by 2010, according to research firm In-Stat.

As it stands now, there are multiple technology standards for broadcasting mobile TV. The main ones include: DVB-H used by Modeo, a spectrum band technology used by IPWireless, and Qualcomm technology used by MediaFlo. MobiTV supports multiple networks and hardware systems.