The European Commission said that it would set DVB-H as a single EU standard for mobile television broadcasting by the end of February, but several EU states said they would try to oppose the move.
DVB-H, promoted by companies such as Nokia, is so far the only standard with a global presence, while South Korea, Japan, the US and China are embracing local rivals, such as one set by US company Qualcomm.
"DVB-H will be published by the Commission in the list of official EU standards," the EU's executive said in a statement.
"As a result, all EU member states will have to support and encourage the use of DVB-H for the launch of mobile TV services, thus avoiding market fragmentation and allowing economies of scale and accordingly affordable services and devices," it said.
EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding said this was "the only way to go" to develop the fledgling industry, adding that once DVB-H is in the EU list it would de facto become the single standard for the EU.
A Commission official said countries opposed to the move - led by Britain, Germany and the Netherlands - would need to have a majority of two-thirds of the EU's 27 states to block it when they meet to fine-tune the decision. A British official said they would try to get that majority.
"It is premature to consider intervening in the market for mobile TV," British Minister of State for Competitiveness Stephen Timms said in a statement. "All current competing standards should be listed (by the EU), not just DVB-H."
EU telecoms ministers said in a statement that the DVB-H norm should not be mandatory.
In the meantime EU telecom ministers backed proposals to open radio frequencies allocated exclusively for GSM mobile phone services to other technologies, such as third-generation (3G) mobile data.
The European Commission had in July proposed freeing access to the 900 MHz frequency, saying that doing so would make it easier and cheaper for mobile operators in the 27-nation bloc to offer wireless services.
The mobile phone industry has been pushing for regulators to open the airwaves.
A 3G network in the 900 MHz band would achieve up to 40 per cent greater coverage than one in the 2,100 MHz band for the same capital expenditure, the GSM Association (GSMA), the global trade body for the mobile industry, said earlier this year.
The GSMA estimates an additional 300 million people across Asia, Europe and Africa would have access to mobile broadband services by 2012 if mobile operators could use a 900 MHz frequency spectrum for 3G services.
DVB-H, promoted by companies such as Nokia, is so far the only standard with a global presence, while South Korea, Japan, the US and China are embracing local rivals, such as one set by US company Qualcomm.
"DVB-H will be published by the Commission in the list of official EU standards," the EU's executive said in a statement.
"As a result, all EU member states will have to support and encourage the use of DVB-H for the launch of mobile TV services, thus avoiding market fragmentation and allowing economies of scale and accordingly affordable services and devices," it said.
EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding said this was "the only way to go" to develop the fledgling industry, adding that once DVB-H is in the EU list it would de facto become the single standard for the EU.
A Commission official said countries opposed to the move - led by Britain, Germany and the Netherlands - would need to have a majority of two-thirds of the EU's 27 states to block it when they meet to fine-tune the decision. A British official said they would try to get that majority.
"It is premature to consider intervening in the market for mobile TV," British Minister of State for Competitiveness Stephen Timms said in a statement. "All current competing standards should be listed (by the EU), not just DVB-H."
EU telecoms ministers said in a statement that the DVB-H norm should not be mandatory.
In the meantime EU telecom ministers backed proposals to open radio frequencies allocated exclusively for GSM mobile phone services to other technologies, such as third-generation (3G) mobile data.
The European Commission had in July proposed freeing access to the 900 MHz frequency, saying that doing so would make it easier and cheaper for mobile operators in the 27-nation bloc to offer wireless services.
The mobile phone industry has been pushing for regulators to open the airwaves.
A 3G network in the 900 MHz band would achieve up to 40 per cent greater coverage than one in the 2,100 MHz band for the same capital expenditure, the GSM Association (GSMA), the global trade body for the mobile industry, said earlier this year.
The GSMA estimates an additional 300 million people across Asia, Europe and Africa would have access to mobile broadband services by 2012 if mobile operators could use a 900 MHz frequency spectrum for 3G services.