[BC] Mobile streaming - who needs IBOC?

[Goran Tomas]

I'm wondering what are the thoughts of respected ladies and gentlemen 
on the topic of mobile streaming?

Let's take a look at the facts: 3G/UMTS cell phone network is here. 
Mobile phones are steadily penetrating the market. Current technology 
in use provides data throughoutput of 384 kbps. With current codecs 
like aacPlus, this can be used for either high-bitrate streaming for 
transparent (CD-quality) audio streaming, or low bitrate, low cost, 
"entertainment" quality streaming. The HSDPA upgrade for 3G network 
that is going commercial now, raises the bitrate bar to 1.8 Mbps. The 
final data throughoutput will certainly reach 14Mbps, and possibly 
over 20Mbps. Good enough for _any_ kind of streaming ;-)

GSM network is fairly robust, in mobile environment as well. I'm 
talking cities here, that have sufficient number of base stations 
providing coverage. As far as cost goes, some mobile operators are 
going flat rate from the start (T-mobile in Great Britain, for 
example). At one point in the future the service will certainly be 
flat rate, even if it isn't right now.

So I'm wondering if this will be a viable alternative to IBOC?

Last week I had an opportunity to play with MDA Vario (Qtek 9000) 
PocketPC/cell phone hybrid. It's not 3G/UMTS enabled, but supports 
EDGE and GPRS. I installed an aacPlus player and connected to one of 
the streams I'm running on Radio Student 
(http://radiostudent.redirectme.net). I drove around town listening 
to the stream without a single dropout or re-buffering. Later I 
connected to one of the Boomer radio streams from Tuner2.com portal 
and enjoyed soul classics from distant Florida while driving around 
Zagreb, also without a single dropout :-) Bottom line is - this 
works! Even on EDGE enhanced-network, let alone 3G/UMTS or HSDPA.

Mostly all mobile phones today have Bluetooth connectivity. But more 
importantly, better car radios come with Bluetooth as well so you 
could talk hands-free in your car. And it works very plug-n-play. You 
don't even have to do anything. The radio automatically recognizes 
your mobile phone and interrupts what you're listening when a calls 
come in, which is then routed to car's audio system. You talk while 
your mobile phone stays in your pocket. There's no reason why a 
Bluetooth connection couldn't be used for playing audio from your 
mobile phone. Either audio from phone's internal memory... OR 
streamed live from the network. When you go to your office, you can 
connect your phone to your small table-top radio or big sound system 
via Bluetooth as well.

So for a fixed monthly cost, only slightly higher than what you are 
already paying your mobile service provider, you can listen to any 
station, anywhere in the world, anywhere you happen to be on the cell 
phone you are already carrying with you all the time. And, unlike 
IBOCs 96kbps, 48bps, 32kbps (or even lower than that), this could 
easily and soon be in true, 44.1kHz, 16 bit, linear, stereo digital quality!

I don't know, but it looks to me IBOC is about to face some pretty 
advantageous and easy-to-use competition. The future of radio might 
very well lie in delivery through mobile networks...


Regards,
Goran Tomas