Delay seen for mobile TV service

A satellite digital media broadcasting service will be postponed for two months, and will now begin in September, the government said yesterday. The new service enables users to watch television programs in real time on mobile handsets or on televisions installed in cars. “The service launch was delayed because of procedures in revising broadcasting law policies and the selection of service providers,” an official of the Ministry of Information and Communication said. The service is provided through a satellite owned by an SK Telecom-led Korean consortium and by Japan’s Mobile Broadcasting Corp. Unlike on existing mobile television services, users will not experience the typical three-to-four-second delay in receiving programming. To receive this service in Korea, consumers will have to buy special mobile equipment priced at about 700,000 won ($600) and pay a subscription fee of about 20,000 won as well as monthly service charges. by Yum Tae-jung