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.
The industry group, which has publicly raised concerns that the earlier technical evaluation conducted by Prasar Bharati excluded telecom companies and device ecosystem players, said the terms of reference (ToR) for the fresh consultation should be comprehensive and finalised in consultation with all stakeholders.
In a statement last week, COAI argued that a do-over was necessary due to the absence of stakeholder participation, particularly telecom operators whose networks and spectrum resources are directly affected by the technology. It added that the previous evaluation had been limited to interference and device heating, while excluding several critical factors, including device certification requirements, electromagnetic field compliance, regulatory and licensing implications, real-world usage scenarios, and the readiness of the device and chipset ecosystem.
Telecom players have claimed that D2M broadcasting has direct implications for spectrum bands earmarked for current and future 5G use. The D2M broadcast technology enables the direct transmission of live television channels to mobile phones without requiring cellular connectivity.
The I&B ministry had, in September 2025, directed a comprehensive technical evaluation of D2M, with clearly defined ToR, participation from all relevant stakeholders, and inclusion of all parallel technology options.
According to an evaluation conducted in November 2025 by Prasar Bharati and the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur through TEC, concerns raised by some stakeholders about interference with telecom services and heating of mobile devices while using D2M were refuted.
 "Telecom players have claimed that D2M broadcasting has direct implications for spectrum bands earmarked for current and future 5G use")