A system for displaying a graphical indication of a proximately located
device is disclosed. When a mobile terminal (e.g., a mobile telephone)
equipped with short-range communications (e.g., Bluetooth or wi-fi) as
well as conventional long-range communications capabilities comes within
range of set top box (e.g., a digital broadcast receiver), the set top
box (STB) overlays an icon over the broadcast screen image indicating
that a mobile terminal is present that can be used as a back channel to
the cable operator. The overlaid icon may be presented in differing
colors to indicate various characteristics of the mobile terminal, e.g.,
a type of the mobile terminal (phone vs. PDA) or a capability of the
mobile terminal (e.g., ability to establish a GPRS or other data
connection). A user of the STB can then use interactive services offered
by the cable operator, and deliver interactive selections and commands to
the cable operator via the mobile terminal back channel.