As recently announced by the DRM Consortium, India has seen a remarkable and most successful deployment of cars with DRM receivers within a very short time, only since 2017

Some 13.2 Crore DRM-enabled cars are on Indian roads today, and it is expected that this number will grow in 2026.

The radio receiver industry both in India and abroad has invested millions of dollars in the development of DRM digital radio capable receivers for use in Indian cars. The graph below is very illustrative of this significant achievement.

What are the reasons for this growth? 

The key factor is the overall appeal of the DRM standard for broadcasters and manufacturers alike.

DRM is an open technology, available to anyone wishing to implement it, without involving hefty fees or licenses, as opposed to a closed, proprietary digital radio solution.

For consumers, the additional benefits of the DRM digital radio standard have also prompted car brands to add such radios to their vehicles:

• More continuous coverage, with clear sound on roads outside metros and localities and without any interference
• More content (as three programmes can be transmitted on one single frequency by radio stations instead of one programme, as in analogue services)
• Dedicated programmes to audience groups unserved in the past
• Extra services like emergency warnings, in case of disasters

For car and OEM manufacturers, it is essential that the ecosystem is ready to help with the production of DRM digital radios. Important components of such radios are AM and FM-band chips and modules. These include already the emergency warnings, vital for India, offered by the DRM standard (Emergency Warning Functionality – EWF).

There is no need for special chipsets or extra adaptation for EWF. Everything needed for emergency warnings and alerts is built-in in the receivers according to the specifications issued by the DRM Consortium.

The DRM technology should be therefore the major building block of a national emergency warning policy, providing full and continuous services as a last resort potentially even from a remotely located transmitter site.

These chipsets and modules have been developed by global leading manufacturers (some also in India) which can be used in both cars infotainment systems and portable radios today.

Some examples:

• NXP, the global chip manufacturer, has developed auto-tuner platforms and SDR solutions for cars usable in the DRM AM as well as in DRM FM bands.

• Skyworks, a leading provider of automotive solutions, has expanded its DRM offering through the launch of its new Si469x4 coprocessor family supporting DRM for AM and FM in its popular family of automotive digital radio coprocessors

• Inntot Technologies based in Kerala has an SDR based automotive receiver solution for DRM digital radios. Inntot is working with some of the major automotive tier-1 companies to launch the DRM receiver through OEMs and its solution is available in 2 crore cars as of 2026.

• OptM, a premier product development and professional services company headquartered in Bangalore, is producing in-vehicle cluster & infotainment systems with DRM.

• RF2digital in South Korea have showcased an SDR (Software Defined Radio) DRM digital radio solution for the automotive industry, with the aim to producing car receivers capable to receive DRM digital broadcasts in all frequency bands.

• Starwaves, a manufacturer of radio modules, is a provider of aftermarket car radio receiver solutions.

• Fraunhofer IIS in Germany is a component provider for the automotive industry.

In summary:

The DRM flexibility and versatility cannot be replicated by any other digital radio standard today.

DRM, being an open standard, is perfect for optimising the broadcaster’s individual coverage needs which is essential for the car industry to maintain transmissions uninterrupted and interference free during both short and long drives in a vast country like India.

DRM, the open, all frequency bands, digital broadcasting standard is already on air in India and is ready to be extended to the FM band being therefore enjoyed by millions of people, wherever they are in India during the daily drives on their country’s roads.