China Digital TV (CDTV), a provider of conditional access (CA) systems has been granted designation as a mobile TV solution developer by the State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT), China's regulatory body on broadcasting.

Under the terms of the contract signed with Zhongguang Satellite Mobile Broadcasting Corporation, a subsidiary of SARFT, China Digital TV will develop Electronic Service Guide (ESG) solutions based on China Mobile Multimedia Broadcasting (CMMB) standards.

CMMB services have been launched in 37 cities in China including Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin. The bouquet allows people to watch seven to eight TV channels and receive radio programs on mobile devices with embedded CMMB chips. During the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing beginning this August, CCTV, China's central television station, will broadcast Olympic programming to CMMB users.

"We are pleased that SARFT has once again chosen China Digital TV as their technology solution partner," enthused Jianhua Zhu, China Digital TV's chief executive officer. "SARFT's selection helps us gain an important foothold into the mobile TV market, a market with immense potential. China's digital TV industry is evolving with the development of multiple viewing platforms. This wealth of new outlets provides China Digital TV with many opportunities for growth."

Received wisdom in China suggests that the ESG is In China, the potential market for ESG usage is very broad as more than 300 network operators are expected to install head-end ESG applications and terminal-end ESG software will be adopted by millions of mobile device users. According to Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the number of mobile phone subscribers in China reached approximately 600 million by the end of May 2008.