#e4mExclusive:  MeitY says no to D2M device mandate, raising questions over mobile broadcasting adoption

The government is moving ahead with plans to commercialise Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) broadcasting, but device manufacturers will not be mandated to install chips or make their devices D2M compatible, a decision that could shape the pace and scale of the technology’s adoption in India.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has suggested that D2M capability should remain voluntary for device manufacturers, effectively ruling out a mandatory requirement for smartphones and other compatible devices to carry the technology. 

The government’s position settles one of the key questions surrounding D2M's commercial rollout, as the industry awaited clarity on whether manufacturers would eventually be required to support the technology.

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The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), meanwhile, had referred the D2M proposal to a Committee of Secretaries (CoS), instead of placing it directly before the Union Cabinet as was originally envisaged. The CoS includes representatives from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), MeitY, Department of Space (DoS) and MIB.

The CoS had approved the allocation of the 470–582 MHz spectrum band for D2M broadcasting and cleared a public-private partnership (PPP) model for its implementation, providing a key policy framework for taking the technology towards commercial deployment.

Public broadcaster Prasar Bharati is now expected to move towards the tendering stage, with a Request for Proposal (RFP) likely to be floated within the next month.

Gaurav Dwivedi, CEO of Prasar Bharati, said the government settled the question of whether D2M would become a mandatory feature for devices.

“A key ecosystem question was whether D2M would be a mandate or a choice. We have made it clear that device manufacturers are under no obligation to carry D2M signals or make D2M-capable devices. It is entirely voluntary. Some manufacturers have already prototyped and built devices that can receive D2M signals. If demand grows, others will follow,” Dwivedi said.

The decision means the government is not seeking to impose a regulatory mandate on smartphone and device makers at the outset. Instead, the D2M ecosystem will have to develop through consumer demand, broadcaster participation, device availability and commercial incentives.

Dwivedi said the process has now moved to the next stage, with the Detailed Project Report (DPR) nearing completion and the RFP being prepared.

“With that settled, the next steps are the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and then the RFP. The DPR work is almost complete, and the draft has been submitted to us. The RFP is being prepared, and we can float it by the end of October,” he said.

The proposed RFP is expected to be an important milestone for D2M, which has remained under evaluation for several years. The technology is designed to deliver broadcast content directly to mobile and other compatible devices using terrestrial spectrum, potentially allowing consumers to access television and other broadcast services without relying on mobile data or an internet connection.

The latest move comes after a fresh round of technology validation tests provided momentum to the government’s D2M plans. The initiative, however, had faced repeated extensions in the timeline for issuing the commercial tender, prompting questions within the broadcasting industry over when the technology would finally move from trials to deployment.

The approval of the 470–582 MHz band and the PPP model now gives the project a clearer institutional and commercial structure. The PPP approach is expected to allow public-sector broadcasting infrastructure and private-sector technology and commercial capabilities to be brought together for the rollout.

However, the decision to keep D2M device support voluntary has triggered concerns among some broadcasters and industry executives, who believe the absence of a device-side mandate could make it difficult to achieve the scale required for the technology to become commercially viable.

An industry executive said the biggest challenge would be creating a sufficiently large installed base of D2M-capable devices. 

“If manufacturers are not required to support D2M, most will have little immediate incentive to add another hardware component to their devices, particularly when consumers are not yet actively demanding the service. This creates a chicken-and-egg problem: broadcasters need a large device base to invest in content and infrastructure, while manufacturers need a clear commercial opportunity before they support the technology at scale,” the executive said.

Another concern is that D2M will have to compete with established distribution and streaming technologies, including mobile broadband, connected television and over-the-top platforms, which already have significant consumer adoption.

The voluntary approach could therefore make the commercial rollout more dependent on the ability of broadcasters and the D2M ecosystem to demonstrate a clear consumer proposition. Without a compelling use case, manufacturers may be reluctant to prioritise D2M compatibility, particularly in a smartphone market where device makers are already under pressure to control component costs and differentiate products through other features.

Industry executives also point out that D2M’s success will depend not only on spectrum and transmission infrastructure but also on the availability of compatible chipsets, devices and applications. A fragmented device ecosystem could limit the reach of broadcasters and reduce the incentive for private players to invest in the technology.

The government, however, appears to be betting on market-led adoption rather than regulation. The presence of prototype devices capable of receiving D2M signals could provide an initial base, while wider consumer demand could encourage more manufacturers to introduce compatible products.

For Prasar Bharati, the immediate priority is now to complete the DPR and issue the RFP. The tender is expected to provide greater clarity on the project's commercial architecture, including the role of private participants and the manner in which D2M services could be deployed at scale.

The RFP will also be closely watched by broadcasters, technology companies and device manufacturers, given that it could determine whether D2M moves beyond government-backed trials into a commercially sustainable broadcasting platform.

The government’s decision not to mandate D2M support in devices could reduce one regulatory hurdle for manufacturers, but it simultaneously puts greater responsibility on the industry to create demand for the technology.

With spectrum allocation cleared, a PPP model approved and the DPR nearing completion, D2M is now entering what could be its most consequential phase.

The initiative's success will ultimately depend on whether the proposed commercial model can persuade broadcasters, technology companies and device makers that a viable business case exists for building an ecosystem around a technology that the government has chosen not to make mandatory.