The telecom watchdog in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will issue licenses for mobile digital TV service in the country by mid-2008, local paper Khaleej Times reported Thursday.

The paper stated that the UAE Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRA) has appointed a consultant to give advise on licensing issues and procedures.

The consultant will take one month to complete the task, and help TRA issue the license to the operator by the middle of this year, said TRA Director General Mohammed Al Ghanem.

However, Ghanem added that it is premature to speculate when the operator will actually launch the mobile digital TV service.

There are currently two mobile telecom operators in the UAE - Etisalat and Du, Xinhua Net reported.