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Mobile operators hope that mobile TV could encourage users to spend an extra £5-£10 a month, compensating for declining revenues from voice calls, but mobile television and video downloads rank close to the bottom of consumer interest, according to a Gartner study.

Only about 5% of Europeans expressed interest in watching television or video on their mobile in the next year. However, 20% of Asians say they would watch TV on their phone screens.

"I think the main reason is the compromise you are making on the device you need to carry to watch TV - either too big if

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you want a nice experience or too small and you do not have a good experience," says Carolina Milanesi, a Gartner analyst.

The lack of consensus on business models, the variety of different technologies and shortage of airwaves have also been hampering take-up of mobile TV.

Because spectrum availability is not a problem in many Asian countries, commercial DVB-H broadcasts have already started in India and Vietnam, with Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia also set to open networks this year.

In Europe, three countries have started commercial networks. Research firm Informa has projected entertainment services - games, music, TV, adult content and gambling - would grow to $38 billion (18.8 billion pounds) by 2011 from around $18.8 billion in 2006.

Music has been the main driver for mobile entertainment so far, but players in the field have expected a boost from mobile television - a conclusion thrown into doubt by the study.

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