Mozambique telecoms operator mcel and the mobile arm of African pay-TV service provider DStv Mobile have launched a 3G live television streaming service to mcel subscribers.

Seven channels are available in the categories of sport, music, children’s programming, general entertainment and news.

The service uses telecom equipment firm Ericsson’s Content Delivery Server (ECDS): the first such deployment of it its kind in Africa, according to a statement.

This in turn means that mcel can stream content directly to consumer’s handsets over different operating systems.

“We have been working very closely with mcel and Ericsson over the last few months and happy to unveil this great mobile TV offering, people on the go will never have to miss any of their favourite DStv content, as TV will literally be available anywhere, anytime,” said Mark Rayner chief executive officer of DStv Mobile.

Regarding the service, there are three packages to choose from for mcel subscribers.

The daily package costs 30 Mozambican metical and includes 40 megabytes data for streaming. This package includes approximately 40 minutes of viewing over a 24-hour period.

Meanwhile, the weekly 150 metical package includes 160 megabytes data, while the 299 metical package includes 320 megabytes.

If an allocated data package finishes, there will be a data top-up option for subscribers, say officials.

Henri Zeitsman, managing director: Ericsson Mozambique, commented on the launch: “The growth of smarter devices has caused an exponential growth of data use in the region. This has opened a whole new world of possibilities when it comes to viewing TV and video.”

“Today people are able to take their entertainment with them around the house and beyond and we believe this will have immense benefits for all involved,” said Zeitsman.