CENTRE plans Direct-to-Mobile trials for video broadcasting without a SIM card

The possibility of Direct-to-Mobile transmission presents a potential future where mobile users might stream videos without requiring a SIM card or an internet connection.

Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) technology developed in-house will soon be tested in 19 locations, according to Information and Broadcasting Secretary Apurva Chandra.

The possibility of Direct-to-Mobile transmission presents a potential future where mobile users might stream videos without requiring a SIM card or an internet connection.

Apurva Chandra, the Information and Broadcasting Secretary, made a compelling case for setting aside the 470–582 MHz spectrum for the future Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) technology while speaking at a Broadcasting Summit. She said that trials of the domestically developed technology would soon take place in 19 locations.

According to Chandra, a shift of 25–30% in video traffic to D2M would clear the backlog on 5G networks, speeds up the country’s digital transformation, and enable more people to access content.

D2M technology was tested in Bengaluru, Kartavya Path, and Noida last year through pilot projects.

According to Chandra, about 8–9 crore “TV Dark” homes nationwide would be reached with the use of D2M technology. Out of the 280 million households in the nation, only 190 million own televisions.

69 percent of the content accessed by users on the 80 crore smartphones in the country, according to him, was in the form of videos.
Content would lag because mobile networks would become overloaded due to excessive video usage, according to Chandra.

The D2M broadcasting system, created by Saankhya Labs and IIT Kanpur, uses public broadcaster-assigned spectrum together with terrestrial telecommunications infrastructure to send data, audio, and video signals straight to mobile and smart devices that are compatible.

Adoption of D2M technology promises transformative benefits, including lower costs for data transmission and access, increased network resilience and efficiency, and the potential to establish a national emergency alert system. D2M technology has the potential to reach over a billion mobile devices.