Telcos scream unfair over Prasar Bharti’s direct to mobile technology clearance

NEW DELHI: The air waves are crackling with tension. India’s telecom operators are demanding a do-over of technical trials for Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) broadcasting, even as tests commissioned by state broadcaster Prasar Bharati conclude the technology poses no threat to mobile networks. The spat reveals a deeper battle over spectrum, sovereignty and the future of content delivery in the world’s most populous nation, according to media reports.

According to a study by the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, D2M technology operating in the 470–582 MHz frequency band neither interferes with 4G and 5G networks nor causes abnormal heating in smartphones. The findings, certified by Bengaluru-based Aracion Technology, a government-accredited testing facility, were meant to settle months of speculation. Instead, they’ve lit a fresh fire.

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), whose members include Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, isn’t buying it. The industry body claims the trials were conducted behind closed doors, without involving telecom operators, device manufacturers or chipset vendors—the very stakeholders whose networks and businesses could be upended by widespread D2M deployment. 

“Direct-to-Mobile broadcasting has far-reaching implications for spectrum, networks, devices and consumer safety,” says S P Kochhar, the association’s director general. “Any national-level technical evaluation of such a technology must be transparent, inclusive and technology-neutral.”

The operators’ beef isn’t just procedural. COAI argues that the evaluation was narrowly focused on a single technology standard—ATSC 3.0, the American broadcast format—whilst ignoring cellular-based broadcast alternatives used globally. The tests, conducted on 14 November at a facility operated by Aracion Technology, used a Tejas Networks smartphone and a 40-watt broadcast radio head. COAI says this limited scope fails to reflect India-specific spectrum allocations and real-world network conditions. The association wants the government to conduct a fresh, technology-neutral assessment with clearly defined terms of reference, participation from all affected parties, and a structured public consultation led by the department of telecommunications and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

D2M technology allows smartphones to receive live television, video and multimedia content directly from terrestrial broadcast towers—no SIM card, no mobile data required. Proponents see it as a democratising force: a tool for mass content delivery, emergency broadcasting and bridging the digital divide. Sceptics worry about spectrum conflicts, device compatibility and, perhaps most importantly, the commercial implications for telecom operators whose data revenues could take a hit if users start streaming content for free over broadcast networks.

The timing is delicate. India’s information and broadcasting ministry had directed in September that any D2M evaluation must include all relevant stakeholders and consider parallel technology options. COAI says it submitted detailed inputs for such an assessment but was blindsided by the release of the IIT Kanpur report. The operators are calling for the evaluation to be realigned with the principles discussed at that September meeting.

What’s at stake extends beyond the technical minutiae of frequency bands and thermal behaviour. This is a fight about who controls the pipes—and the content flowing through them. Telecom operators have invested billions in 4G and 5G infrastructure. They’re understandably wary of a broadcast technology that could bypass their networks entirely. Prasar Bharati, meanwhile, sees D2M as a way to reassert relevance in an age of streaming giants and on-demand viewing.

For now, the outcome hangs in the balance. COAI has urged policymakers to anchor decisions in transparent, inclusive processes that safeguard consumer interests, network integrity and efficient spectrum use. Whether the government heeds that call—or pushes ahead with D2M based on the existing tests—will determine whether India’s airwaves become a battleground or a shared resource. One thing’s certain: in the race to deliver content to 1.4 billion people, nobody wants to be left holding a dead signal.