TV content broadcast proposal: Telecom sector gets wrong signal from Direct-to-Mobile

New Delhi: Telecom operators, chip makers, network providers and handset makers have strongly opposed any hurried decision on a proposed idea to beam TV content directly to mobile phones without a cellular data connection, as the technology is still immature.

The smartphone industry is worried that adoption of the proposal making it mandatory for devices to offer support to direct-to-mobile (D2M) broadcasting will increase the cost of devices by $30 (Rs 2,500) at least.

Experts say the tech, which will potentially allow phones to pick up TV signals ‘off the air,’ will see telcos losing out heavily on data revenue – increasingly the mainstay of business, with voice calls being effectively free.