TV content broadcast proposal: Telecom sector gets wrong signal from Direct-to-Mobile
Telecom operators, chip makers, network providers and handset makers have strongly opposed any hurried decision on a proposed idea to beam TV content directly to mobile phones without a cellular data connection, as the technology is still immature.
The smartphone industry is worried that adoption of the proposal making it mandatory for devices to offer support to direct-to-mobile (D2M) broadcasting will increase the cost of devices by $30 (₹2,500) at least.
Experts say the tech, which will potentially allow phones to pick up TV signals 'off the air,' will see telcos losing out heavily on data revenue — increasingly the mainstay of business, with voice calls being effectively free.
Getting chipsets will also be a problem due to the lack of a global ecosystem, experts add.
ET was first to report August 5 that the government was exploring a proposal for D2M, as it felt there should be convergence for delivering content via broadcast and broadband, particularly with the launch of 5G services.
The comments from stakeholders — including Qualcomm, Samsung, Nokia, Ericsson as well as the Cellular Operators Association of India and India Cellular and Electronics Association lobby groups — were submitted to the Telecommunications Engineering Centre (TEC), a unit of the Department of Telecommunications, which is running a consultation process on the issue.
The government is yet to take a call on the matter, officials said.
Currently, television's reach is limited to 210-220 million homes, but there are around 800 million smartphone users in the country, in addition to some 250 million featurephone users.
