I&B Ministry
WRC meet turns down 470-698 MHz spectrum band to India for mobile communication
NEW DELHI: Following the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) last month in Geneva, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has been informed that the frequency band 470-698 MHz has not been identified for International Mobile Telecommunication (IMT) for India.
Conveying this information received from the Communications and Information Technnology Ministry, Minister of State for I&B told Parliament today that his Ministry and Prasar Bharati had earlier given their concurrence to the proposal in this regard from the Telecom Department.
He said the I&B Ministry had laid down the condition that this was acceptable provided the present and future requirements of Doordarshan and terrestrial broadcasting will be given due priority.
The Communications & IT Ministry after due approval and a decision by Committee of Secretaries sent a proposal for identification of the frequency band 470-698 MHz for IMT services for India under Agenda item 1.1 of WRC of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
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.
