It is the meeting of international superlatives. The best soccer players in the world meet in Germany to compete for the title of World Champion. All sporting goods brands present their latest shoes and shirts. All media people from around the globe try to deliver the most current and informative broadcast of the tournament.

And to ensure that absolutely everyone from China to Africa can get notified about every goal within seconds after it has been scored and to see the games in brilliant quality, telecommunication wizards have created new innovative ways to bring the World Cup to the people.

HDTV or High Definition Television has been introduced lately as the next level of in-home entertainment. This digital form of broadcasting video and audio signals brings a whole new quality in resolution and audio output to the tube. At a resolution of usually 1920 x 1080 pixels, the difference to existing analog TV transmission is visible at first sight. Many broadcasters from all over the world offer HDTV coverage of this year’s World Cup in Germany for the first time. With so much viewer interest, this sporting event is the ideal platform to launch this new technology.

Another new technology that makes its way into mainstream through the FIFA World Cup 2006 is the phenomenon of mobile video broadcasting. Just seconds after a goal was scored, short video-clips are sent to the mobiles of subscribing customers. Mobile phone users can choose between various formats such as text messages, goal alerts or news shows at the end of each game.

Which country will win this year’s World Cup tournament in Germany is still totally in the air. Telecommunication companies and electronic corporations are already winners, no matter what the outcome of the cup may be.