Telecom association raises concerns over Prasar Bharati’s D2M broadcast technology test

NEW DELHI: The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which represents private telecom operators, has raised concerns over a direct-to-mobile (D2M) broadcast technology test commissioned by public broadcaster Prasar Bharati without the involvement of telecom operators and mobile device companies. The D2M technology would allow live TV channels to be transmitted directly to mobile phones without using cellular networks. In 2019, Prasar Bharati had signed an agreement with IIT Kanpur to technically examine concerns related to possible interference between D2M broadcasting and telecom services, as well as the heating of mobile devices due to D2M operations.