The reduction in cost of mobile phones and the increase in the number of mobile service operators in the region has forced manufacturers to develop extra services and to enter into agreements aimed at increasing revenue from device sales and the strengthening of their positions in the market.

The mobile TV service is currently available in Kenya from Safaricom and in Nigeria and Namibia from MTN. Under the agreement, mobile-phone subscribers activate their SIM cards and can watch MultiChoice's digital satellite TV (dubbed DStv) portfolio of TV channels at no cost for a year.

Nokia has provided Digital Video Broadcast Handheld- (DVB-H-) enabled phones, which are currently thought of as high-end, but is hoping to make the features available in low-end phones.

"As with all technologies, they are found in the high-end phones in the beginning, but over time we make them available on the low-end phones as well," said Dorothy Ooko, communications officer in charge of eastern and southern Africa.

For Nokia, mobile TV is about making it easier for consumers to access seamless entertainment and information while on the move.