iWorld
India tunes into the future: D2M phones set to beam broadcast content straight to mobiles
MUMBAI: Say hello to television without the internet. At Waves 2025, India’s flagship World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit to be held at Jio World Centre in Mumbai, a game-changing coalition of technology players will unveil the roadmap to bring direct-to-mobile (D2M) broadcasting to the fingertips of Indian consumers.
The ambitious push is led by FreeStream Technologies, an IIT Kanpur-incubated deeptech startup, alongside mobile giants Lava International and HMD Global, powered by chipsets and infrastructure from Tejas Networks (formerly Saankhya Labs), with global validation from US-based broadcasting behemoth Sinclair Inc.
The tech, hailed as a breakthrough in both communications and accessibility, allows live TV, emergency alerts, educational content, and multimedia programming to be delivered directly to mobile phones via terrestrial broadcast signals — bypassing internet or mobile data altogether.
“This is India’s moment to lead the world in next-gen broadcasting. Lava and HMD are laying the foundation of a robust device ecosystem, and their commitment to scaling up proves D2M is more than a proof of concept — it’s a national opportunity,” said FreeStream Technologies director Sumeet Nindrajog.
Lava, known for its made-in-India ethos, is ensuring that the price-point doesn’t become a hurdle. “Our D2M featurephone design cleverly integrates the modem and apps in a way that keeps costs low — something that has always defined Lava,” said Lava International executive director Sanjeev Agarwal.
HMD — the home of Nokia phones — is matching that energy. “HMD has always been about delivering meaningful innovation. With D2M, we’re enabling consumers to access live content and alerts on their devices, without needing Wi-Fi or mobile data,” said HMD CEO & VP India & APAC. Ravi Kunwar. “This is a global first, and we’re proud to be building it in India.”
Behind the scenes, it’s Tejas Networks’ award-winning SL-3000 D2M chipset — the tech’s beating heart — that makes it all possible. A product of Saankhya Labs (now part of Tejas and the Tata Group), the chip is designed for mobile broadcast reception, even in dense or low-connectivity environments.
“This isn’t just about watching TV — this is about creating a national broadcast backbone that can deliver everything from emergency alerts to targeted education, from CDN offload to next-gen advertising,” said Tejas Networks EVP and co-founder of Saankhya Labs Parag Naik. “It’s an empowerment platform, aligned with PM Modi’s vision of a digitally empowered India and Viksit Bharat.”
Tejas has also built out the full core network platform to support nationwide rollout — integrating both broadcast and broadband layers, a capability rare even by global standards.
From the other side of the Atlantic, Sinclair Inc, a pioneer of ATSC 3.0 — the broadcasting standard enabling D2M — praised India’s swift strides. “The adoption of ATSC 3.0 in affordable mobile devices underscores the foresight of our global investments, and vindicates our ‘mobile-first’ strategy,” said Sinclair Inc president & CEO Chris Ripley. ““India is now in the driver’s seat. Our next focus is B2X — Broadcast to Everything — which will be vital to achieving the goals of 6G and next-gen applications.”
Sinclair’s One Media unit has been working with Indian partners to future-proof mobile broadcasting as a core digital infrastructure. Their role isn’t just investor — they’re co-developers and global evangelists.
Backed by policy momentum and partnerships with Prasar Bharati, the D2M ecosystem has already undergone field trials across live networks. The next step? Nationwide field deployment, with Lava and HMD readying devices for market at scale.
D2M is now not just a tech demonstration — it’s a political, social and commercial opportunity:
* To decongest mobile data networks,
* To deliver content equitably across rural and urban India,
* And to anchor India’s leadership in media-tech manufacturing.
With global standards, Indian R&D, and mass-market readiness coming together, Waves 2025 could well be remembered as the moment India turned its phones into broadcast hubs.
iWorld
Times Music acquires Catrack to expand Punjabi catalogue
Third acquisition adds legacy Punjabi hits, boosts global sync and OTT potential.
MUMBAI: Old beats, new busines,Times Music is turning nostalgia into a growth strategy. The Times Group-owned label has acquired Catrack Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., marking its third strategic buy and deepening its partnership with Primary Wave Music. The move brings a culturally rich Punjabi music catalogue into Times Music’s portfolio, signalling a continued push to monetise legacy content at scale. Founded in 1990, Catrack played a defining role in shaping Punjabi music’s “golden era”, with a catalogue featuring artists such as Babbu Maan, Malkit Singh, Channi Singh and Dolly Singh. It also backed early voices like Manmohan Waris, Surjit Khan and Sukhwinder Panchhi names that continue to carry recall across generations.
For Times Music, the acquisition is less about archival pride and more about future play. The catalogue, already digitally active, opens up monetisation avenues across sync deals, film and OTT integrations, brand collaborations and contemporary remixes areas where legacy music is seeing renewed commercial traction.
The deal follows Times Music’s earlier acquisitions of ARC Musicq and Symphony Recording Co., positioning the company as an active consolidator in India’s fragmented music IP landscape.
The Times Group managing director Vineet Jain said the acquisition reflects a continued commitment to amplifying India’s cultural voices globally. CEO Mandar Thakur described the Catrack catalogue as a “cultural treasure” with enduring relevance, while Primary Wave’s David Loiterton highlighted its cross-generational appeal as a key driver for global expansion.
As streaming platforms and short-form video continue to fuel demand for recognisable, nostalgia-driven tracks, Times Music appears to be betting on the long tail of legacy, where yesterday’s hits can still find tomorrow’s audience.
