The central government is working on a revolutionary technology that will allow users to watch live TV channels on their smartphones without an internet connection. It's called direct-to-mobile (D2M) technology and is currently being tested. Addressing a broadcasting summit, Information and Broadcasting Secretary Apurva Chandra said on Tuesday that it will be a home-grown technology and trials will soon be held in 19 cities. Last year, pilot projects to test the D2M technology were carried out in Bengaluru, Kartavya Path and Noida.
What is D2M?
The technology is capable of transmitting multimedia content to consumers' smartphones without requiring an active internet connection. In a letter, Ministry of Communications listed the versatile features of D2M technology, such as mobile-centric and seamless content delivery, hybrid broadcast, real-time and on-demand content and interactive services.
Traditionally, it has been employed for issuing emergency alerts and assisting in disaster management.
The government said that using D2M, information can be directly delivered on the mobile phone of users without straining network bandwidth. Mr Chandra also said in his address that a shift to D2M would unclog the 5G networks.
How does the technology work?
The D2M technology functions in the manner similar to FM radio, where a receiver gets the transmitted signal. It is also similar to direct-to-home (DTH) broadcasting in which a dish antenna receives broadcast signals directly from satellites and transmits them to a receiver, also known as a set-top box.
In a paper titled 'D2M Broadcast 5G Broadband Convergence Roadmap for India', published by IIT Kanpur in 2022, it was noted that currently available mobile devices do not support D2M technology.
To make these devices compatible, a separate baseband processing unit is needed, along with an antenna, low-noise amplifiers, baseband filters and a receiver.
Working out the cost
Incorporating a separate baseband processing unit is expected to significantly increase smartphone costs and potentially impact the current architecture for LTE and 5G networks.
The D2M network will operate in the 526MHz-582MHz band, requiring larger antennas that may pose integration challenges within the current smartphone design.
