JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - THL Mobile has expanded its services to South Africa, where it will retail mobile phones that are able to tune into regular TV channels. Users will be able to watch three SABC channels, as well e.tv.

Instead of making use of modern digital, battery-saving technologies such as DVB-h or DMB, devices will incorporate an analog receptor. Although DVB-h has already been trialled by DStv, the major satellite TV company in the country, local communications regulator ICASA has delayed the approval of the service as a commercial offering. DStv trialled both Nokia 7710 and Sagem myMobileTV, which PhoneReport reviewed at its early stages of publication.

THL Mobile has not reported any network alliance yet, therefore it will retail directly to the public from its offices in Midrand, in the central province of South Africa. The devices will also be dual-SIM-enabled, which means that South Africans will be able to have two SIM cards working on one single handset, at the same time.

For TV viewing, users will be required to pay the yearly TV licence, as the same protocol for regular TV follows here.