When the local TV networks stop broadcasting analog signals (currently scheduled for June 12), the airwaves at 719 MHz will be freed up for new content. Who is stepping up to the plate? Qualcomm’s mobile MediaFLO TV service, which until now has only been available on AT&T and Verizon phones in 70 U.S. cities. While the service has previously been available in Albuquerque, Wilmington, San Diego, and Baltimore, Qualcomm has not been able to offer MediaFLO TV to subscribers in cities like San Francisco or Boston. But beginning Friday, Qualcomm will be able to use the airwaves in another 43 cities to broadcast MediaFLO TV's 20 mobile channels.

But what does it take to broadcast TV to a mobile phone instead of an antenna or satellite dish? The MediaFLO service isn’t Internet TV or streaming media, it doesn't come over the voice or data connection your phone has with the cellular network, and it’s not broadcast by AT&T or Verizon. Instead, Qualcomm’s network operations center in San Diego broadcasts it all. We went behind the scenes just before the June 12  switchover to see how the FLO TV network works, what it takes to keep it on the air, and how Qualcomm is getting ready for the switchover, which will let the company broadcast to many more areas.