German anti-monopoly authorities have approved plans by mobile phone operators T-Mobile, O2 and Vodafone to create a joint technical platform to bring television to mobile phones. The three operators will work to develop broadcasts on the new European norm Digital Video Broadcasting for Handhelds and could also buy programmes together, although they would be marketed separately. While the agreement would limit the amount of competition between operators, they are obliged to respect a number of norms so that customers can choose freely between the operators. The European Commission said in July it would include the DVB-H technology on its list of standards in order to encourage its use as a single standard across Europe.