LG announced the launch o f the LG-U900, the world’s first commercially available UMTS (WCDMA) DVB-H phone, at a ceremony in Rome, It aly on April 27.

The LG-U900 will be available early May through Hutchison, a leading global telecommunicati ons services provider, in time for the 2006 World Cup.

Hutchison Italy, the country’s largest 3G telecommunications provider, has exclusive DVB-H broadcasting rig hts for the 2006 World Cup. The company will provide video footage of all World Cup matches beginning June 6, through the Hutchison’s service channels, ‘La3’. Hutchison plans to offer the LG UMTS (WCDMA) DVB-H phone to customers world-wide, after initially establishi ng a base in Italy.
LG’s new LG-U900 DVB-H handset features a 2.2-inch ‘wide-swing’ screen for mobile TV viewing. Its premium digital broadcasting functions include ESG (Electronics Service Guide) and CAS (Conditional Access System).

These functions shall support enhanced business models for mobile and broadcasting operators. Users can watc h TV for up to three hours because of the phone’s long battery life. The LG-U900 is also equipped with a 1.3 mega-pixel & VGA digital camera, an internal memory capacity of 58MB.

The UMTS (WCDMA) DVB-H technology evolved from DVB-T, European terrestrial digital broadcast technology, becoming the European mobile broadcast standard. It provides high-speed data transmission, a variety of channels, a high-resolution screen and strong mobile broadcasting.