Wireless TV content may be flowing more freely soon, with word of a pact between wireless chip giant Qualcomm Inc. and Verizon Wireless to field a wireless multicast service in the United States.

It's a major step for Qualcomm's MediaFLO USA Inc. subsidiary, which  has developed a terrestrial wireless transmission technology banking on 700 Megahertz spectrum licenses it has snapped up in a lion's share of the major U.S. markets. Plans are to complete construction of the network and begin operations in 2006.

Once the MediaFLO network is built, Verizon Wireless will be the first U.S. wireless service provider to offer the wireless TV service, which is envisioned to include live and on-demand TV channels. Using handsets armed with EV-DO and MediaFLO radios, Verizon Wireless plans to launch wireless TV services to approximately half of the market where it has rolled out its next-generation Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) broadband network service.

Verizon already has launched its EV-DO-driven V CAST video service and BroadbandAccess high-speed Internet service. Going forward, the plan is to add the MediaFLO service in all of its EV-DO markets and shift the V CAST video service from the EV-DO network to the MediaFLO infrastructure.

"MediaFLO USA's network will allow us to provide compelling real-time multimedia services to wireless customers, complementing our industry-leading wireless voice and data services -- including our successful V CAST broadband multimedia service," said John Stratton, vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. "As we aggressively expand our mobile multimedia offerings, MediaFLO will help us continue providing the most innovative multimedia services in the nation."