The EC said Friday that a common approach to mobile TV must be adopted by the member states including the adoption of a single European standard.

Speaking at the CeBit technology fair in Hannover, Germany, the EU’s Telecom Commissioner, Viviane Reding, said a common approach was necessary if mobile TV is to thrive in European markets. Reding told journalists at the fair that she considers Digital Video Broadcasting for Handhelds (DVB-H) as the best broadcasting technology for the region.

In its assessment of the potential market for mobile TV, the EC is undoubtedly optimistic, estimating that by 2009 the technology will generate around Eur11.5bn globally with around 50 million enabled handsets. Reding insisted that Europe should play a “decisive role” in developing mobile TV.

The EC called for a simplification of regulation governing mobile TV, arguing that “a thriving Mobile TV market will not develop unless regulatory obstacles are first identified and removed”.

The commission also criticised the European Mobile Broadcasting Council, set up in July last year, for not making “concrete progress in this area”.