Verizon Wireless became the first carrier to announce sides in the mobile TV technology wars, announcing today it would launch multicast multimedia services using Qualcomm's MediaFLO network, which is scheduled for launch next year.

Qualcomm is using its own 700 MHz spectrum to deploy a national streaming multimedia network based on its own forward link only (FLO) technology. Verizon Wireless said it would offer the mobile TV services in half of the markets where it now offers its CDMA 1X EV-DO and add the service to additional 3G markets as Qualcomm builds out its broadcast network. The carrier indicated it planned to make the service an exclusive 3G service for its Vcast customers, offering it over FLO-enabled EV-DO handsets.

By selecting MediaFLO, Verizon fired off the opening round in what is expected to be a hotly contested fight over mobile TV standards in the U.S. A competing standard, called digital broadcast video-handheld (DVB-H) is being pushed by the GSM community globally, but because both FLO and DVB-H operate on entirely separate networks from the cellular systems they support, CDMA and GSM operators could choose either technology. But many industry watchers expect the carriers to fall into their respective traditional technology camps, with CDMA carriers backing FLO and GSM carriers supporting DVB-H.

Crown Castle is currently conducting a trial of DVB-H in Pennsylvania, but it hasn't announced plans for a large-scale commercial network. Nor has it announced any customers for the service. For its part, Verizon Wireless has long been a key backer of Qualcomm technology initiatives. It was the first large carrier--and certainly the largest--to adopt BREW, Qualcomm's content distribution platform.

Earlier this week, the Qualcomm-backed FLO Forum released the first air interface specification for FLO, allowing handset- and broadcast-equipment makers to begin designing their gear.