FORM 6-K
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Report of Foreign Private Issuer
Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
22 September, 2005
O2 plc
Wellington Street
Slough, Berkshire SL1 1YP, England
(Address of principal executive offices)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports
under cover Form 20-F or Form 40-F
Form 20-F..X... Form 40-F.....
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information
contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to the
Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Yes ..... No ..X...
If "Yes" is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant
in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): 82 ________
Enclosure:
Copy of announcement regarding Product Launch sent to the
London Stock Exchange on 22 September, 2005
PR0520
MOBILE TV TRIAL GOES LIVE
Released: 22 September 2005
In a UK first, EastEnders, Coronation Street, CSI and Lost are just some of the
TV programmes up to 400 O2 customers, living and working in Oxford, will be able
to watch live on an advanced mobile phone from next week.
O2 and Arqiva (previously known as NTL Broadcast) have teamed up with Nokia as
well as the leading terrestrial and satellite broadcasters to kick-off the UK's
first trial of full multi-channel mobile TV. 16 channels are being offered to O2
customers, including BBC ONE, BBC TWO, BBC News 24, ITV 1, ITV 2, Channel 4 and
Five, which will provide a core of mainstream channels coupled with programmes
from British Eurosport, Cartoon Network, CNN, Discovery Channel, MTV, ShortsTV,
Sky News, Sky Sports News and Sky Travel.
Customers will be able to select their favourite programme from an on-screen
service guide, search for specific items as well as set their handset to alert
them when a show starts. The trial will run for up to six months and is designed
to test and showcase the televisual capabilities of the next generation mobile
services. It will look at how people choose to catch up on their favourite TV
shows, how they watch the latest music videos and keep up to date with the news
and sport when on the move, and provide an understanding of how much customers
are willing to pay for the service.
The service is based on the new DVB-H (digital video broadcasting - handheld)
transmission standard and works by beaming a signal to a digital TV receiver,
which is attached to Nokia's new 7710 handset, transforming it into a portable
TV. DVB-H is ideally suited to sending high-quality, digital TV pictures from a
single source to multiple users in a way that complements the one-to-one video
streaming which is already possible via today's GPRS and 3G mobile data networks
Dave Williams, O2's chief technology officer, said: "Increasingly, new forms of
content are making their way onto mobile devices - music, in particular, is
already booming - and the latest buzz is about television. There will be many
millions of mobile TV viewers worldwide by 2010.
"As an emerging industry, mobile TV will require a willingness of operators,
regulators, broadcasters and handset suppliers to strike new deals. Regulators
need to licence new spectrum, which will allow global economies to exist,
broadcasters and publishers will need to tackle digital rights issues and
operators develop workable revenue sharing partnerships. By establishing
relationships through activities such as this, we hope that potential challenges
will be minimised and mobile TV becomes a commercial reality sooner than is
currently possible."
Hyacinth Nwana, Arqiva's managing director, mobile media solutions, commented:
"We've pulled together an extremely strong and varied 16-channel line-up,
reflecting the range of content that our original research identified as
desirable for a mobile television service. In Europe all evidence points to
mobile TV being mass market. Oxford will address the critical success factors
such as scalability, consumer experience, content mix and consumer choice."
Mark Selby, Nokia's vice president, multimedia, added: "The Oxford trial is an
important step in the roll out of mobile broadcast TV, building on the recent
successful trial in Helsinki. Consumer reaction and usage patterns will help the
broadcast and mobile industries understand what content viewers want to see on
this exciting new technology. The Oxford trial will add valuable new research
and it will be followed by multiple trials in Europe, Asia and America. Nokia is
pleased to be working with O2, Arqiva and the many content producers
participating in this trial."
In addition to aggregating the content and operating the trial service, Arqiva
is providing the DVB-H transmitter network that will cover an area of 120 sq km
centred on Oxford. O2 customers taking part in the trial do not pay to watch the
TV element of the trial, however all voice and data calls are charged under
their existing tariff plan. Nokia has provided the handsets and is working on a
new range of devices for the future with in-built DVB-H capabilities.
-Ends-
O2 plc
O2 plc has 100% ownership of mobile network operators in three countries - the
UK, Germany and Ireland - as well as a leading mobile Internet portal business.
All of these businesses are branded as 'O2'. The company is a founding member of
Starmap Mobile Alliance, has operations on the Isle of Man (Manx Telecom) and
owns O2 Airwave - an advanced, digital emergency communications service. In
addition, O2 has established the Tesco Mobile and Tchibo Mobilfunk joint venture
businesses in the UK and Germany respectively.
O2 has nearly 25 million customers and some 15,000 employees. It reported
revenues for the year ended 31 March 2005 of GBP6.683 billion. Data represented
26% of total service revenues in the quarter ending 30 June 2005.
O2 contacts
David Nicholas Simon Gordon
Director of Communications Head of Media Relations
O2 plc O2 plc
david.nicholas@o2.com simon.gordon@o2.com
t: +44 (0) 771 575 9176 t: +44 (0)771 007 0698
O2 press office: 01753 628402
All O2 Group news releases can be accessed at our web site: www.o2.com
Arqiva (previously known as NTL Broadcast):
Arqiva, formerly the broadcast division of NTL Group, has a 50-year history in
transmission and has helped pioneer the technologies of the digital age. 22
million UK homes receive ITV, Channel 4 and five via Arqiva's national
transmitter networks. The company also provides transmission for most UK
independent radio stations, both analogue and digital. In adddition Arqiva
provides end-to-end media solutions to the broadcast industry across terrestrial
and satellite platforms. This includes satellite uplinking, satellite
newsgathering, outside broadcast facilities, programme presentation, play-out
and distribution. With a portfolio of over 2000 radio sites across the UK,
Arqiva's Wireless Solutions group specialises in shared mobile and cellular
network infrastructure, from conventional masts and towers, urban and
in-building solutions to access circuits, managed back-haul and core network
provision.
Arqiva's Public Safety group provides a full range of support services to the UK
police, fire, ambulance and other emergency services including design and
installation of integrated telecommunications systems, radio system maintenance
and fully managed services. www.arqiva.com
For more information please contact:
Bruce Randall, Arqiva, Winchester Hannah Bailey/Emma Hutchinson
Tel: +44 (0)1962 822582 Nelson Bostock Communications
Fax: +44 (0)1962 822374 Tel: +44 (0)20 7229 4400
email: bruce.randall@arqiva.com Fax: +44 (0)20 7792 7411
www.arqiva.com email: hannah.bailey@nelsonbostock.com
About Nokia
Nokia is a world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth and
sustainability of the broader mobility industry. Nokia connects people to each
other and the information that matters to them with easy-to-use and innovative
products like mobile phones, devices and solutions for imaging, games, media and
businesses. Nokia provides equipment, solutions and services for network
operators and corporations. www.nokia.com
Nokia contacts:
Mark Squires, Nokia
Director of Corporate Communications Gavin Spicer/Sophie Heximer, GBC
Tel: +44 (0)7870615867 Tel: +44 (0)20 8322 1922
Email: mark.squires@nokia.com Email: nokiacorp@gbc.co.uk
www.nokia.co.uk
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
O2 plc
Date: 22 September, 2005 By:___/s/ Robert Harwood___
ROBERT HARWOOD
Assistant Secretary