DoCoMo takes stake in PacketVideo, looking to LTE and Android
By CAROLINE GABRIEL
Published: 6 July, 2009
One of the most interesting elements of the family of technologies assembled by NextWave Wireless - elements that the troubled firm is now selling off - was always video platform PacketVideo. This remains in the NextWave fold for now, but has received valuable new financial and market support, with NTT DoCoMo taking a 35% stake.
The Japanese lead cellco, which already uses PacketVideo software to deliver music and video services on some devices, is paying $45.5m in cash for its stake, and sparking speculation that it will take over the whole firm in future. Advanced music, video and TV services are critical to being competitive in Japan and so DoCoMo is likely to boost its partner in many ways - not just by improving its financial position, but also contributing to, and supporting, further developments of its platform.
The two companies initially worked together in 1998, incorporating PacketVideo technologies in DoCoMo's FOMA 3G multimedia applications. The smaller firm's Core multimedia player, pvPlayer, is currently integrated in over 90 DoCoMo handset models. Now the two companies are working on services and players for DoCoMo's planned LTE launches early in 2010.
PacketVideo has also been working on the iPhone and on Android, and provides OpenCore, the multimedia subsystem in the Google system, plus its live video broadcasting technology, which can be added to existing mobile systems.
PacketVideo is now the only commercial focus for NextWave, which has been going through a massive reorganization, selling off as much of its spectrum as it can, winding down many chip developments, and spinning off its IPWireless infrastructure unit (now independent again following a management buyout). Getting DoCoMo into such a strategic position with PV will be a significant boost.
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