As representatives of the world’s mobile phone industry descend on Barcelona for the 3GSM conference, mobile TV is high on the agenda. Today companies are fighting to fill your phone with music, but in the next couple of years they’re going to switch the emphasis to television on the move.

"This year, entertainment is a strong focus at the show," says Mark Smith, head of communications for GSMA, the conference’s organiser. "Content is key to making the consumer want the service, and operators and manufacturers are keen to get the big names onboard."

And keen they are, with handsets on show from Nokia, BenQ-Siemens and Motorola, which are all trying to convince decision-makers that TV on the move is the way forward. Disney, Universal and MTV are giving presentations on the subject at the conference.

If you want to watch television on your mobile today, you really only have one choice. Vodafone and Orange both stream the content directly to your phone. It’s effective but limited, and some commentators believe that were it to take off properly, it would put such a huge strain on the networks that it would be tough to offer a decent service and keep a straight face.

The trouble is that, as with the current clash of high-definition DVD formats, the industry can’t decide which standards and technology they want to go with next. The main next-generation contenders are DMB, DVB-H and IPTV. As usual, you have to get used to the acronyms, but the concept behind each technology is fairly straightforward.

All three are based on dual-mode technologies. This means they work in partnership with the current cellular system but include an additional feature to improve their effectiveness.

DMB (digital multimedia broadcasting) is the next step on from DAB digital radio and adds picture capabilities to the service; DVB-H (digital video broadcasting – handheld) is a Freeview variant that uses television signals to carry data; and IPTV (internet protocol television) uses a wireless internet connection to get the signal to the handset.

So far, while mobile TV is getting a lot of industry attention, there are many obstacles to overcome before we’ll all be using it on the bus. IPTV requires blanket wireless internet coverage, while DVB-H requires the government to approve its licence, which is unlikely to happen in the UK until 2008 at the earliest.

That hasn’t stopped O2 trialling a DVB-H service in Oxford for the past six months. Four hundred users of the O2 network have been given smart phones on which they can watch BBC and BSkyB channels, and interims results suggest that participants watched an average of three hours per week.

"Evidence from the Oxford trials confirms that people do want TV on the go," says Mike Short, vice president for research and development at O2. He says that mobile TV could change the way we interact with the medium. "Imagine a TV experience where you will be able to be a part of the show. Say a national quiz, or perhaps one where you decide the outcome. The dual technology of both television and mobile will allow this."

It’s something we are already seeing with digital television in the home with the BBC’s Test the Nation programmes and interactive adverts that encourage you to press the red button.

Mr Short sees the service going beyond quizzes and shopping. "Local services could benefit immensely with targeted adverts dependent on your location and the television you were watching. I believe that one day we will see content being made specifically for mobile phones on a regular basis"

Like music for mobile, big industry is beset on making sure consumers get television on the go whether they’re asking for it or not, but it is likely to be some time off yet.

Explore Personal Tech

• InGear