Qualcomm gives MediaFLO a $558m boost

Remember all the discussion over what the recent 700 MHz spectrum auction would yield for the mobile industry? Well, at least part of that question has been answered: Qualcomm is using its newly won spectrum to broaden the capacity of its MediaFLO TV service, after spending $558.1 million in the auction.

The company said Qualcomm said the licences will let it offer more MediaFLO content in areas including Boston, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia and San Francisco. The company has also got new spectrum around its office to help with R&D efforts.

Mobile TV is still an uncertain bet – anything that can help whip up some more interest from users can only be a good thing. Hopefully the capacity boost will let Qualcomm do some serious work on differentiating its content from what’s available on the home TV.