Internet radio to mobile phones

Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) just launched mobile versions of their net radio services. Twinapex delivered YLE the system to convert those net radio channels to mobile phone-friendly format. Before, YLE had been broadcasting its radio channels live to the Internet users only in Windows Media format. The mobile radio offers the same content, but the format is compatible with the 3G mobile phones (AAC/RTSP that is).

One of the reason (that I know) for YLE to offer their radio programmes to Internet users is to serve Finns living abroad. Net radio makes it possible for them to listen to their mother tongue abroad. Now, what's the deal with the mobile radio then?

YLE's project manager did ask me some time ago if it would be technically possible to re-format their net radio to mobile phones. "Sure", I said, "but why?". I could not see what purpose this would serve as quite many mobile phones have a built-in FM radio. Why would anybody use (often quite expensive) mobile packet data service to listen to a radio channel that you can pick free from the air?

The answer is quite simple. YLE has something like 15 local radio stations (one for each province in Finland) and 8 nationwide channels. So, in any particular place in Finland, you can listen to the 8 nationwide and the one local channel. The mobile radio service enables you to listen to any of the local stations anywhere in Finland (or abroad, but that might get expensive to pay for the roaming data). This more than doubles the choice of radio channels for the user.

When our team was testing the service internally, I was curious to see if it would change my "radio listening" behaviour. Every morning, on my way to the office by tram, I was listening to the local station of the area where I come from (I am not born in Helsinki). And thanks to the poor FM radio I have on my mobile, I started to listen to the YLE national channels, too (the mobile radio thing was working much better on Nokia E90 than FM radio!). I still use the mobile radio more than the FM radio, so I must say the service did change my habits (I used to play blackjack at Yahoo's mobile Internet site on my way to work/home).

I came to a conclusion that the mobile Internet radio might become actually very popular service. It truely has some extra value to offer to the user. Maybe I setup a mobile Internet radio channel for myself featuring Internet radio channel "Boot Liquor": Americana roots music for Cowhands, Cowpokes and Cowtippers. Yiee-haa!