New Delhi: The government is exploring the feasibility of beaming TV channels live on mobile phones, without a data connection, on the lines of direct-to-home (DTH). Termed D2M (direct-to-mobile), the technology will allow mobile phone users to watch TV on their devices akin to watching TV through a cable or DTH connection.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) as well as IIT-Kanpur are working on the details, government officials aware of the matter said.
The telecom operators, however, are likely to strongly oppose the proposal as it will eat into their data revenue, most of which comes from video consumption, and hurt their 5G business case.
“We are exploring the feasibility and the final decision will be taken after meeting all the stakeholders, including the telecom operators,” one of the officials told ET, asking not to be named.
A meeting on the issue is planned for next week, which is likely to be attended by officials from DoT, MIB, IIT-Kanpur as well as representatives from the telecom and broadcast industry.
Officials said the government’s belief is that there should be convergence for delivering content through broadcast and broadband, particularly with the launch of 5G.