What is D2M technology that Govt plans to launch next year

Direct to Mobile (D2M) broadcasting technology is expected to be available for the general public by “next year”, said a senior government official, while exuding confidence in the co-existence of this technology along with the internet.

D2M technology allows the broadcast of video and other forms of multimedia content directly to mobile phones, without needing an active internet connection.

“Technology is mature and available. However, some lab trials are being done. Now we have to do city-wise lab trials. So its potential can be demonstrated. The government as the regulator has to enable its role. So in a year or so, we can launch this technology (for the general public) with the indigenously developed system,” Abhay Karandikar, secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) told ANI.

The technology promises to improve consumption of broadband and utilisation of spectrum.

“It is a disruptive technology. It will not be a competition to the internet but it will help the internet. For example, if you consume OTT through the internet now with D2M it will be possible to consume without the internet. This kind of technology is very similar to Wi-Fi which can co-exist with mobile internet. Similarly, D2M can co-exist,” he said.

While talking about the importance of this technology for the rural population, Karandikar said “The largely rural population is still using the low-end smartphones and 3G connections. They have not migrated to high-speed data. It can help them and we help them to consume data without being worried about high-speed data.”

D2M technology functions like listening to FM radio on a smartphone, where a receiver taps into radio frequencies.

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, known as a set-top box.

In the “D2M Broadcast 5G Broadband Convergence Roadmap for India” paper, published by IIT Kanpur in 2022, it was noted that currently available mobile devices do not support D2M technology.

To make devices compatible with supporting next-generation broadcast networks under these standards, a separate baseband processing unit is needed, along with an antenna, low-noise amplifiers, baseband filters, and a receiver. (ANI)