I&B Ministry
DD moving to digitisation through Freedish and DTT: Rathore
NEW DELHI: The percentage of rural viewers who are accessing Doordarshan through its terrestrial network is 7-8 per cent of 170 million TV households, Parliament was told today.
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore addressing the Parliament said that 28.73 per cent of the total expenditure of Doordarshan was spent on terrestrial distribution in the year 2013-14.
Prasar Bharati has informed that it has decided upon progressive digitisation of Doordarshan’s transmission network by way of expansion of DD Freedish and setting up of a commercially viable Digital Terrestrial Transmitter (DTT) platform in harmony with the recommendations of the Expert Committee.
In order to gain experience in digital transmission technology, Doordarshan had set up four digital transmitters, one each at Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai in January 2003 on an experimental basis using DVB-T system.
Four digital HPTs (HDTV) have been installed at Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai which are ready for commissioning. Prasar Bharati has informed the Ministry that 40 digital HPTs (DVB-T2) under 11th Plan and 23 digital HPTs (DVB-T2) under 12th Plan have been approved as part of digitisation schemes. Out of 40 digital HPTs, 19 are presently under implementation.
The 19 digital transmitters include two each in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The other states apart from Delhi are Assam, Bihar, Chhatisgarh, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha, Punjab, Tanil Nadu, Telengana, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
I&B Ministry
Digital radio, D2M tech set to reshape broadcasting and public messaging
Govt pushes next-gen delivery while TRAI tightens grip on spam ecosystem
NEW DELHI: India’s broadcasting and telecom landscape is undergoing a quiet but significant upgrade, with digital radio and Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) technologies emerging as powerful tools for mass communication, while regulators step up efforts to tackle spam calls.
According to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, digital radio and D2M are poised to transform how content reaches audiences by making more efficient use of spectrum. In simple terms, multiple channels can now be delivered over a single frequency, opening the door to a wider range of free-to-air content.
D2M technology takes this a step further by enabling video, audio and data to be broadcast directly to mobile handsets without relying on SIM cards or mobile data. The result is a resilient and cost-effective data pipe that can deliver everything from entertainment and education to critical emergency alerts, even in low-connectivity scenarios.
At the same time, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is tightening its grip on unsolicited commercial communication, better known as spam calls. The regulator has deployed a distributed ledger technology platform to bring transparency and accountability into the system.
Through this blockchain-based setup, consumers can register their preferences on receiving promotional messages, while businesses and telemarketers must also sign up and operate within defined rules. The platform also includes a complaint mechanism that allows users to report spam, with complaints shared across telecom operators for coordinated action.
The government’s broader push is being supported by infrastructure upgrades under the Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development scheme. Implemented through Prasar Bharati, the initiative focuses on modernising networks such as Akashvani and Doordarshan, including digitisation and adoption of next-generation broadcast equipment.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting minister of state for information and broadcasting L. Murugan said these steps are part of a larger effort to promote emerging technologies and strengthen the country’s broadcasting backbone. The response came to a query raised by member of Parliament Rao Rajendra Singh.
Together, these developments point to a dual-track strategy: expanding access to reliable, low-cost content while cleaning up the communication ecosystem. As digital pipes get smarter and spam filters sharper, India’s airwaves may soon feel a lot less noisy and far more useful.
