3GSM – HTC makes phone for BT, Virgin mobile TV service

Taiwanese mobile phone developer High Tech Computer said Tuesday it will provide its latest handset to an effort by BT Group and Virgin Mobile Holdings to make British users among the first in Europe to watch television on their mobile phones.

Dubbed the Trilogy, the handset will allow British users to tap into a wide range of digital TV content as well as more than 350 digital radio stations broadcasting nationwide 24-hours a day, HTC said in a statement.

Virgin Mobile will be the first mobile operator to sign up for the BT Movio broadcast digital TV and radio service for mobile phones, said BT in a statement.

Virgin Mobile will offer the broadcast service on a limited basis to subscribers later this year.

BT said it worked with HTC and Microsoft to develop the Trilogy and bring it to market in Europe. The handset features a 2.2-inch screen for viewing digital video content, and a range of other media-driven features including removable storage and an onboard 1.3-megapixel camera. It runs the Windows Mobile 5.0 OS.

Microsoft worked with the group to ensure stable and secure software performance on the handset, using Windows Media technologies including Windows Media Video and Windows Media Audio Pro, BT said. The BT Movio service also incorporates Windows Media Digital Rights Management technology, BT said.

The BT Movio service will be available to all mobile operators in the U.K. in the future, BT said.