New video streaming to shake up the data market

D2M technology paves the way for data-free video streaming, offering broader content access while potentially unsettling the telecom sector.

Early this year, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) announced that the government was preparing to conduct trials of direct-to-mobile or D2M technology in 19 cities using Prasar Bharti’s infrastructure to assess its effectiveness. To achieve this the government has been closely working with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur and Saankhya Labs, which has developed a chip that can help users stream live television feeds and even curated video content in the long run—all without the need to use mobile data.

While the development of D2M broadcasting standards has largely remained muted, the technology has created some degrees of optimism—and scepticism—in equal parts over the past month.

“Building a dedicated D2M network by earmarking spectrum for the broadcasting infrastructure would lead to a breach of a level playing field.”- Lt Gen (retd) SP Kochhar, Director General, COAI

What is D2M?

Put simply, D2M broadcasting refers to the transmission of content airwaves directly from a broadcasting transmission tower to a user’s smartphone. This does away with the need to use data services to stream content, especially video.

To do this, a purpose-built set of infrastructure is needed, including a specialised chip and receiver of airwaves on a smartphone itself. While all of this is a work in progress if it can be achieved, D2M will do away with the need for consumers to rely on telecom operators to get access to Internet connectivity, the backbone of all modern-day applications.

Why is D2M important?

To be sure, D2M is not drastic or new but is so far used only in limited capacities for emergency public broadcasting of central government notifications. D2M is key because the networks are getting increasingly congested and consumption of mobile data is on the rise. Further, D2M could expand mobile content consumption even to newer sections of society, thereby becoming a technology that could help power progress in many households that do not have access to a television unit.

Speaking to the media earlier this year, Apurva Chandra, former I&B secretary, had said that nearly one-third or 90 million of India’s total 280 million households do not have access to a TV set. However, the number of smartphones in India is estimated at 800 million—and could cross the 1-billion mark within the next few fiscals. This, as per Chandra, has left a wide gap in rolling out content streaming services, a factor that D2M broadcasting can already help fill up.

Chandra further noted that nearly 70% of all data consumption on smartphones happens through video streaming, leading to 43.7 exabytes (or 43.7 billion gigabytes) of data usage every month. As per the I&B Ministry’s statement to reporters, transferring 25-30% of this data consumption load to a separate mechanism could significantly help reduce the stress and load on telecom infrastructure and network providers.

All of this makes D2M an important new technology. A draft paper by DoT’s Telecommunications Engineering Centre (TEC) is already in the works to bring D2M to the market and will look to release it in the coming weeks.

How does the D2M technology work?

Think of this in the same way that your home’s direct-to-home (DTH) TV dish service works—except in this case, the transmissions are sent directly to a smartphone. To enable this, Saankhya has claimed to develop the custom chip required for D2M broadcasts for on-device videos on demand. According to Saankhya Labs Chief Executive Officer Parag Naik, the company is working with unnamed original design manufacturers (ODMs) to bring the chip to commercially available smartphones.

The company also plans to start selling a plug-and-play dongle that bulks up smartphones but can be used to market the product and the technology in India for just USD 2.5, or around Rs 200, within the next year.

One of these two components would be crucial for D2M broadcasts to work. According to estimates, a total of 10 million users are likely to be a part of the pilot testing process, which could potentially begin this year itself. This also echoes the Department of Science and Technology Secretary Abhay Karandikar’s word on the need for applied research, which could potentially offer up a whole new format of technology itself. Karandikar has been involved in the development of D2M technology since he was the director at IIT Kanpur.

Once the chip or the dongle is installed on a smartphone, the Centre’s pilot will use existing public broadcasting equipment in possession of the central audio broadcasting division, Prasar Bharati. Airwaves carrying video content will then be receivable on a smartphone, thus streaming video content without needing to buy data packs from telecom operators.

Direct-to-mobile can broadcast educational programmes, entertainment channels, alert messages, and critical information during emergencies.

What does it make the telcos unhappy?

The telecom operators in India have cried foul at the mention of the D2M technology, claiming that it will negatively impact their data and value-added services business, a key driver of higher per-user revenues for these operators. To be sure, telcos use data-based video streaming subscription services as a way to lure people into buying more expensive data plans, and this could take a major hit if a government-backed technology helps stream video content directly.

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), the key industry voice for the telecom sector, published a statement expressing concerns about the implementation of the pilot D2M broadcast.

“The telecom industry is concerned with the aspects of the level playing field, spectrum allocation, network integration and regulatory and cost arbitrage, in favour of the proposed public-private partnership model and against the telecom service providers. Building a dedicated D2M network by earmarking spectrum specifically for the broadcasting infrastructure and providing competing or complementary services, would lead to a breach of a level playing field. A dedicated D2M network, built by a third party, will not be optimal,” the COAI Director General Lt Gen (retd) SP Kochhar stated in a letter to the I&B ministry.

However, none of this has begun as yet, thus leaving D2M open to much speculation. It is undeniable that the technology holds much prowess to simplify live video content streaming—something that could be crucial in periods such as the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket season.

Telcos, however, are unlikely to give in so easily—and chipmakers, too, will have their say. The latter will incur significant costs in trying to fit in a new chip to existing smartphone reference designs, making for yet another bottleneck that the draft policy by TEC will need to look into.

By Vernika Awal

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