D2M Technology

In News

• The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and India’s public service broadcaster Prasar Bharati are exploring the feasibility of a Direct-To-Mobile’ (D2M) technology that allows to broadcast video and other forms of multimedia content directly to mobile phones, without needing an active internet connection.

About D2M Technology

• The technology is based on the convergence of broadband and broadcast, using which mobile phones can receive terrestrial digital TV. 
• It would be similar to how people listen to FM radio on their phones, where a receiver within the phone can tap into radio frequencies.
• It promises to improve consumption of broadband and utilisation of spectrum.
• Using D2M, multimedia content can also be beamed to phones directly.

Usage 

• It can possibly be used to directly broadcast content related to citizen-centric information .
• It can be used to counter fake news, issue emergency alerts and offer assistance in disaster management, among other things. 
• It can be used to broadcast live news, sports etc. on mobile phones. 

Impact 

• Consumers would be able to access multimedia content from Video on Demand (VoD) or Over The Top (OTT) content platforms without having to exhaust their mobile data, and more importantly, at a nominal rate. 
  • The technology will also allow people from rural areas, with limited or no internet access, to watch video content.
• For businesses, it can enable telecom service providers to offload video traffic from their mobile network onto the broadcast network, thus helping them to decongest valuable mobile spectrum. 
  • This will also improve usage of mobile spectrum and free up bandwidth which will help reduce call drops, increase data speeds etc

Challenges 

• Bringing key stakeholders like mobile operators onboard will be the “biggest challenge” in launching D2M technology on a wide scale. 
• a mass roll out of the technology will entail changes in infrastructure and some regulatory changes

Government’s Initiatives 

• The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has set up a committee to study the feasibility of a spectrum band for offering broadcast services directly to users’ smartphones. 
  • Band 526-582 MHz is envisaged to work in coordination with both mobile and broadcast services. 
• At the moment, this band is used by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting across the country for TV transmitters.

Source:IE