Telcos push I&B ministry for fresh D2M tech assessment

The Indian telecommunications (telecom) industry body has asked the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry to restart the performance evaluation of direct-to-mobile (D2M) technology, urging the Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC) —the technical arm of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) — to develop standards, practices, and key performance indicators.

- GULVEEN AULAKH

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which represents Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea, reiterated its demand for a fresh technical evaluation and a structured public consultation through DoT and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India in a letter to the I&B ministry late last month. Business Standard has seen a copy of the letter.

“Tests must include all relevant technological solutions, including ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) 3.0, 5G broadcast, and other comparable standards. All phases of the study must involve telecom operators, device manufacturers, chipset vendors, regulators, and accredited laboratories,” the body said.