Mobile Video Alliance launches in the UK

The Mobile Video Alliance (MVA), an organisation set up set up last year to tackle issues like video quality over mobile networks, has officially launched today with support from UK industry body the Digital TV Group (DTG).

UK culture minister Ed Vaizey launched the MVA at the DTG summit in London at what the alliance’s backers said was “a critical time for both the broadcast and mobile industries.”

The MVA was established last year by interconnection and data centre firm Equinix and mobile operator EE to tackle technical issues such as the evolution of caching and adaptive bitrates and value chain fragmentation.

It also comes at a time of rising mobile data traffic and increasing demand for video content from consumers, thanks to next generation WiFi and 4G mobile data networks.

With the formal launch of the MVA, Equinix said it will make its recently launched solution validation centre available to MVA members to test new standards and configurations.

“This makes us a vital interconnection platform for mobile video delivery and we are committed to encouraging and enabling the mobile video ecosystem,” said Michael Winterson, vice president of sales and marketing, Equinix EMEA.