D2M tech pioneer takes on DoT arm
Indian chipmaker, which has developed solutions for direct broadcasting of content on mobile phones, has termed a recent report of the telecom department's technical wing on the tech standards for the service as «rigged, favouring multinationals» and against strategic and national interests.
The Telecommunications Engineering Centre (TEC) report has suggested that 3GPP 5G broadcast standards — backed by global chipmakers Qualcomm and Samsung, telecom equipment vendors Nokia and Ericsson as well as Indian telecom operators — have superior ecosystem readiness for direct-to-mobile (D2M) broadcasting compared with the ATSC 3.0 protocols. Bengaluru-based Saankhya Labs has developed chipsets and radios for D2M broadcasting under the ATSC 3.0 protocols and the Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur has done a trial based on its solutions.
The Saankhya model allows users to access live content on mobile phones, akin to TV, without an active mobile data connection. D2M technologies based on 3GPP standards require an active mobile data connection.
Such tech is preferred by telecom carriers since the service will consume a good amount of data and bring higher revenue to them.
3GPP is a global body which specifies telecommunications standards that are followed by telcos, chipmakers and handset providers. ATSC is an independent body that suggests standards for broadcasting technologies.
Based on the TEC report, the government is likely to take a call on whether ATSC 3.0 should be adopted into national standards or not. While
