Virgin Mobile to Lose Mobile TV Offering in the UK

British communications solution provider BT will be shutting down its mobile television branch, Movio, and ceasing its partnership with Virgin Mobile, vnunet.com reports. Movio provided mobile TV infrastructure to Virgin Mobile using the DAB TV standard, which has recently been pushed aside by the European Commission when it picked the more widely compatible DVB-H standard as the preferred technology for the EU.

Virgin Mobile's flagship mobile TV device, the questionably designed Lobster 700TV (also known as the HTC Trilogy) will likely be discontinued in the wake of the shutdown, as its primary draw card has now been rendered useless. Owners of the device will still be able to access DAB radio, however.

BT claims that feedback on the service has been 'complementary,' but cited slow sales of the service due to a lack of compatible devices as the reason it is backing out of the market. The company has not ruled out launching a mobile TV service using the DVB-H standard in the future, but for now Virgin Mobile will lack a mobile TV offering.