I&B Ministry
Indian radio services set for global expansion
MUMBAI: All-India Radio (AIR) is all set to expand global services for its Indian audience, which will cover Japan, Germany and Canada.
The AIR is planning to launch the services for several countries, including some in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), with an aim to support the government’s outreach programmes and diplomatic efforts to the Indian diaspora, PTI reported AIR’s external services division director Amlanjyoti Mazumdar as saying.
The ESD aims to keep the listeners in touch with the ethos of India, also highlighting business opportunities. Maldives and South Africa are also among the countries AIR plans to reach to, it added.
At present, the ESD covers around 150 countries with programmes in 27 languages, of which 14 target neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia.
Mazumdar said that Pakistan had increased its presence in African countries through its new radio services, and India could not work in “silos”.
Meanwhile, Arunachal Pradesh deputy chief minister Chowna Mein said that the state would give every possible support for the improvement of AIR services in the state, the Arunachal Times reported.
Mein, who launched the extended Arun FM Transmission at AIR Itanagar on Sunday, said that Arun FM (103.1 MHZ) will be an effective medium for dissemination of information on government activities, programmes and policies. He said that he would urge the central government to establish radio stations with FM transmission in all the districts.
Arun FM is a part of an initiative started by AIR DIG to improve the quality of broadcast. Arun FM will air its own programmes from AIR Itanagar for seven hours, which will be extended to at least 13 hours of broadcast on its own 10 KW transmitter very soon, which will give aerial coverage of at least 40km radius.
I&B Ministry
Prasar Bharati sets EPG standards for DD Free Dish platform
New specs define 7-day guide, LCN mapping, and device compatibility.
MUMBAI: Your TV guide just got a backstage pass structured, scheduled, and far more in sync. Prasar Bharati has released detailed technical specifications for Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) services on DD Free Dish, laying down a standardised framework for how channels and programme information are organised and delivered. At the core of the update is a defined EPG data structure, covering genre-based categorisation, scheduling formats, and Logical Channel Numbering (LCN). The aim is simple: make navigation less guesswork and more guided experience across the platform’s over 40 million households.
The specifications also introduce a seven-day programme guide window for each channel, alongside clear rules for channel grouping and LCN mapping effectively deciding not just what you watch, but how easily you find it.
On the technical front, the document outlines requirements for Program Specific Information (PSI) and Service Information (SI), including descriptor usage across tables such as PAT, BAT and NIT. It further details service lists and network linkage parameters, giving OEMs and developers a clearer blueprint for integration.
Importantly, the framework is designed to work seamlessly with television sets equipped with in-built satellite tuners, enabling users to access DD Free Dish directly without additional hardware, an incremental but meaningful step towards simplifying access.
The platform will continue to operate on GSAT-15 transponders, using MPEG-4 compression and DVB-S2 transmission standards, ensuring continuity even as the interface evolves.
While largely technical, the move signals a broader push towards standardisation and user-friendly discovery in India’s free-to-air ecosystem because sometimes, the real upgrade isn’t what’s on screen, but how easily you get there.
