Handset vendor Samsung has struck a deal with IPWireless to develop devices with broadcast capabilities based on the 3GPP IMB standard. IMB is capable of streaming live video and broadcasting and storing content on the device for later consumption, helping to ease congestion on the network.

“The IMB standard gives an opportunity to breathe life back into the possibility of using part of the 3G spectrum for broadcasting and datacasting, allowing major infrastructure vendors and handset manufacturers, such as Samsung, to refocus their mobile broadcast technologies on the underused TDD band on UMTS [3G] networks,” said David McQueen, principal analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media.

“With mushrooming data traffic caused by the advent of wireless-laptop-connectivity products and smartphones, thereby increasing bandwidth demands on mobile operator networks, the IMB standard is gaining increasing mobile operator interest for use as an overspill for data-intensive multimedia. IMB also has the further advantage of being able to operate in spectrum that many mobile operators have already acquired so negating the need to build a separate and distinct network.”