Verizon Wireless yesterday launched television services on its phones in 20 U.S. markets, Reuters reported.

The service, which will cost subscribers $15 a month, is run by Qualcomm Inc. unit MediaFlo.

According to the companies, the picture quality of the new service would be on a par with home TV and roughly twice as clear as Verizon Wireless' existing Vcast video service.

Available channels include a live feed from MTV, and programming from CBS Corp., NBC, ESPN, Fox, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central. Some programs are shown at the same time as regular TV, while others are rescheduled to match the heaviest mobile phone television viewing times, Verizon's spokesman Jeff Nelson told Reuters.

Ovum analyst Roger Entner predicts that the impact in the beginning will be modest since Verizon is rolling out the service gradually. But he estimated that MediaFlo users could increase to 20-30 million people within about seven years.

According to reports, AT&T's Cingular Wireless has plans to launch MediaFlo to its customers later this year.