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• EY appointed to lead India’s D2M broadcasting rollout.
• D2M to stream content directly to mobile phones.
• Aims to boost rural access and ease network load.

The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) has officially appointed Ernst & Young Private Limited (EY) as the Project Management Consultant for India’s pioneering Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) broadcasting initiative. The consultancy firm will play a vital role in formulating a nationwide rollout strategy and proposing a sustainable revenue model that complements the existing public broadcasting framework.

This move follows directives from th Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Technology, which has urged the ministry to ensure transparency, provide regular updates, and safeguard current broadcasting infrastructure while deploying D2M technology.

D2M broadcasting is designed to deliver a range of video content linear and non-linear directly to mobile devices. This includes educational content, emergency alerts, and OTT programming. As an innovative supplement to unicast and traditional broadcasting models, D2M aims to reduce network congestion and improve content accessibility, particularly in rural and underserved regions.

The initiative took shape on June 1, 2022, with the release of a White Paper by IIT Kanpur, in collaboration with Prasar Bharati and the Telecommunications Standards Development Society, India (TSDSI). The paper was unveiled during a national conclave at Prasar Bharati, Delhi, outlining the convergence of D2M and 5G technologies.

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To test its feasibility, Prasar Bharati and IIT Kanpur conducted Proof-of-Concept (PoC) trials in cities like Delhi and Bengaluru. These trials evaluated different use cases and technology deployment models. The results are currently under parliamentary review, with a demand for more data on technical performance and scalability.

EY’s involvement is expected to be pivotal in guiding the D2M project through complex regulatory, technical, and commercial landscapes as it moves from experimental stages to full-scale implementation, marking a significant milestone in India’s digital media evolution.