Download Music from Radio to Mobile Phone in 2007

UBC media has reached agreements with radio companies, record companies and mobile operators which mean that it can today announce the launch timetable for its ground breaking technology which allows real-time downloads of tracks from radio stations as the listener hears them. The music files are delivered both to the digital receiver and the user’s home internet account.

The technology, known as Digital Music Downloading (DMD), was first unveiled by UBC last year. In August, the company announced the successful completion of consumer trials in Birmingham with Chrysalis-owned radio station Heart 100.7.

UBC can now confirm that the commercial service will commence in Q1 2007 with a soft launch in London and will go live nationally in May 2007 with at least four radio stations in each major radio market being enabled to offer the service to their listeners. UBC is pleased to announce that it has reached in principal agreement with the major UK radio groups and now expects, subject to contracts.

The initial station line-up is limited by the current availability of data capacity to carry the music files on digital radio multiplexes. However, today, UBC is also announcing a development to the software that will make the service available on more radio stations than was originally envisaged. This new version of the application will allow exactly the same impulse purchase of songs as they are played but with the music file only being delivered to the user’s home internet account rather than also to the radio itself. This requires minimal digital radio data capacity and it is therefore possible for it to be enabled on a far wider number of stations. The technology also operates in tandem with 3G telecom networks to allow users to choose this method of delivery for the files to mobile devices.

Since the announcement of UBC’s successful trial in September, discussions have commenced with a number of manufacturers about digital radio devices that will be capable of operating the service. UBC believes a range of these will be available during 2007.

The ‘Lobster 700 TV’, launched in October by Virgin Mobile is the first such device and UBC is finalizing commercial terms with Virgin for billing and customer service. The software, developed for UBC by TTP, which will operate the service on the Lobster mobile, will be released in January 2007. www.ubcmedia.com