On Tuesday Microsoft announced a partnership with British Telecom (BT) and Virgin Mobile to develop a mobile TV service in the United Kingdom.

BT has long been involved in constructing a network to broadcast digital TV over mobile phone networks. BT said in January that it plans to offer the network, called BT Movio, to mobile carriers that want to offer TV service to their customers.

CNET reports: “The first mobile operator to use the BT network to deliver TV service is Virgin Mobile. The two companies conducted a four-month trial last year with roughly 1,000 users in London. Virgin Mobile plans to launch the service sometime this summer. Consumers can expect to get at least five TV stations as part of the initial launch, along with a number of radio channels.”

It occurs to us that this is going to need a quantum leap in the battery life of mobile phones. Presumably plugging them in at the office will be the preferred option.