VimpelCom, a leading Russian mobile operator and international telecom company, intends to abandon its project for the creation of a mobile digital television system on the DVB-H standard, Vedomosti reported last week. Among the main obstacles to developing the business have been regulatory complications – including licensing issues as well as equipment use authorizations – that have been pending since 2009, the Russian business daily quoted VimpelCom General Manager Elena Shmatova as saying.
Meanwhile, the mobile market has changed continued to evolve with streaming video developing fast as an alternative with larger compatibility with mobile devices.
VimpelCom’s total investment in this project through its subsidiary Dominant comes to $15 million.
DVB-H proponents, however, are still on the market. Sistema Mass-Media (SMM), a part of financial corporation Sistema, announced in May it had resumed its DVB-H project, targeting a potential audience of 300,000 drivers in Moscow.
Another DVB-H project has been undertaken by Scartel, operator of the first Russian mobile WiMAX network, via its subsidiary Kentavr.
