Mobile Video Alliance launches in the UK

Mobile Video Alliance seeks to harmonise the delivery of video to mobile devices

LONDON — Ed Vaizey MP today launched the Mobile Video Alliance (MVA) at the DTG Summit 2014, saying: “The Mobile Video Alliance is an exciting new initiative that will dramatically improve the experience of watching video on mobile devices, opening up new opportunities for consumers, broadcasters and content providers.”

The MVA will identify, develop and advocate technologies that harmonise the delivery of audio visual content to mobile devices, with the aim of providing a reliable and enjoyable experience for consumers. Founded by mobile operator EE and global interconnection and data centre company Equinix, the MVA has now moved under the auspices of DTG, the UK industry association for digital television.

“The MVA will advocate and build a mobile video ecosystem that transitions a fragmented industry to one that is integrated, coherent and collaborative.” — George Robertson, Principal IP Engineer, DTG.

Participation in the Mobile Video Alliance is open to any organisation that is currently a member of the DTG or that joins following formation of the MVA. The DTG will provide a forum for interested parties to explore the opportunities and challenges associated with the delivery of audio-visual content to mobile devices.

“Video is already the biggest driver of traffic on our 4G network, and that is only set to grow and grow. A superfast network and high performance devices make mobile video a reality, but we now have to work with content owners and broadcasters to really enhance the customer experience. The MVA provides the opportunity to do that, and make a real difference to the way people consume video on the go.” — Matt Stagg, Network Strategy Manager, EE.

Equinix are also making their recently launched Solution Validation Centre available to MVA members to test new standards and configurations.

“Our data centres are where content physically connects to networks. This makes us a vital interconnection platform for mobile video delivery and we are committed to encouraging and enabling the mobile video ecosystem.” — Michael Winterson, VP Sales and Marketing, Equinix EMEA.

The initiative comes at a critical time for both the broadcast and mobile industries, as mobile data traffic explodes in response to rapidly increasing demand for video content from consumers, supported by next generation Wi-Fi and 4G mobile data networks.

With more and more viewers choosing to view video content on mobile devices, the MVA will be critical in helping the industry to identify problems as well as uncover and exploit opportunities going forward.

The Mobile Video Alliance will tackle:

• Video quality over wireless and mobile networks;
• Fragmentation in the value chain, and;
• A range of technical issues such as the evolution of caching and adaptive bit rates.