Video may soon be broadcast separately to mobile devices

MIT Technology Review : Streaming video, which requires large amounts of data, could account for 90% of the data transferred to mobile devices this year. Long-term evolution (LTE) is one of the dominant standards for mobile data and phone signals. An alternative version of LTE is in development that could make it possible to transmit a TV-like signal alongside the current LTE signal. Dubbed LTE Broadband, the system would reduce normal data congestion by broadcasting its signals, but it would likely be limited in the number of channels of video it could broadcast. Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam has suggested that his company would like to provide video streaming of events like the Super Bowl in an à la carte fashion, where a large number of users pay to view a particular event. Qualcomm, which develops chip technologies for mobile devices, says that the hardware and software necessary for LTE Broadband will likely be available by early 2014.