For D2M, govt is in the process of stakeholders consultation: Sanjay Jaju, MIB 

The MIB is currently consulting all stakeholders to understand whether the Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) technology, which has recently passed the technical test of IIT Kanpur, doesn’t affect other players in the content space, MIB secretary Sanjay Jaju said on the sidelines of CII’s Big Picture Summit in Mumbai on Monday. 

“The D2M concept has undergone multiple rounds of technical tests. We are going into the process of stakeholder consultation,” Jaju said. 

“We have to look at all the segments of the media and entertainment industry. Each segment is related to another and so it is important to talk to each one of them, and ensure that development of one segment is not at the expense of the other,” shared Jaju. 

Notably, telcos have raised red flags against D2M technology, fearing it might erode their data revenues. They have been pushing the government to provide spectrum for such services at market rates.

Besides, the broadcast industry is also anxious about their revenues. If D2M turns out to be advertisement-driven, networks fear being squeezed further in an already shrinking ad market.

“Digital giants like YouTube and Meta have already absorbed most of the ad pie. If advertisers continue to focus on online platforms, what incentive will they have to advertise on TV who is facing pressure for the last couple of years,” executives said. 

India’s ambitious D2M initiative is set to move into rollout phase by mid-2026, with commercial launches expected toward the end of next year. 

The plan is to utilise the existing infrastructure of Prasar Bharati and mobile towers of telecom operators for deploying D2M technology gear.

Be it live sports or Bollywood movies or even web series on OTT platforms, mobile phone users in India, including the more than 200 million feature phone owners, may finally get to view them on their handsets without even having an active internet connection.

D2M’s ability to transmit high-quality content directly to mobile phones could ease bandwidth pressure on telecom networks and provide new monetization avenues for broadcasters.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has appointed Ernst & Young (EY) as the project management consultant to design the national D2M roadmap, including a sustainable revenue and business model. The initiative, led by Prasar Bharati, aims to enable multimedia content — including videos, news, and emergency alerts — to be broadcast directly to mobile devices without relying on internet connectivity, functioning much like FM radio for the digital age.

“Subject to regulatory clearances, we expect rollout by mid-year. By late next year, we should see a commercial launch of D2M services,” said Parag Naik, EVP of Tejas Networks (Tata Group of company), which has been at the forefront of developing and testing D2M technology in India.

The technology is expected to play a transformative role in bridging India’s digital divide, particularly in rural and remote areas with limited or no internet access.

To start with, phone makers Lava and HMD have manufactured devices in the ₹2,000-2,500 price range for accessing direct-to-mobile (D2M) broadcasting technology, based on chipsets developed by Tata Group-owned Saankhya Labs. Initially, mostly content from public broadcaster Prasar Bharti will be streamed on these devices.