By Matthew Phillips
Matthew Phillips Matthew Phillips is Product Director at CML Micro and has many years of experience in wireless technologies. At CML Micro, Matthew led the development and launch of the DRM1000 module. This groundbreaking product is the smallest, lowest-cost, and lowest-power DRM broadcasting receiver solution available, and has the potential to make DRM radio broadcasting universally accessible worldwide.
Matthew Phillips is a member of the DRM Consortium Steering Board.
The adoption by India of the DRM digital radio standard (initially in the MW (AM) band and primarily by the public broadcaster AIR) provides digital radio coverage for over 900 million citizens. Out of 39 DRM-enabled high-power transmitters, 4 transmitters, one each in 4 metro cities, are now carrying pure DRM transmissions – round the clock (except 3–5 pm). Mumbai and Kolkata (100 kW each), Delhi and Chennai (20 kW each). The remaining 34 transmitters are working in simulcast mode, carrying both an analogue AM and a digital DRM signal (with up to 3 audio services plus Journaline text) – with 1 hour in pure DRM. Transmission details at Prasar Bharati official website.
This ensures all people regardless of income, geography and status can receive high quality free to air digital radio content. The adoption of DRM in the MW band has also resulted in the significant development of essential, innovative solutions by companies based in India and there are now 1.3 crores cars on Indian roads (one in three new cars sold in India) with DRM integrated free of charge into their entertainment systems. Many of these using innovative implementations and expertise created by Indian companies. The emerging DRM eco-system in India is, therefore, a success story which needs to be nurtured. Having adopted DRM in the medium wave or ‘AM’ and short wave bands, there is now an open consideration of how digital radio broadcasting may be adopted in the ‘FM’ band (VHF band-II) also for private broadcasts as well as public and community broadcasters. This will lead to an open freely available standard that can be used by any broadcaster irrespective of frequency band and could deliver a single free-to-air, cohesive market across the entire country giving listeners and broadcasters a vibrant and secure radio broadcasting future. A single open unified standard brings digital benefits for all of India.
The assumption that private commercial stations digitisation can be done at no cost or that the cost will be borne by somebody else is false. The introduction of a private monopolistic proposal would seriously undermine broadcast radio in India. It must be stressed that there are no technical or commercial features of the closed standard apparently endorsed by some private stations that are not fully matched or exceeded by the open DRM standard. Based on our own internal expertise, CML Micro can categorically say there is no operational basis for choosing a monopoly over the open non-proprietary DRM alternative. Indeed, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI’s) study of the alternatives did not identify any reasons to choose the monopoly.
The open DRM standard is owned and controlled by India and already adopted by the Indian receiver and automotive industry. Expanding this established technology to digitize the FM band is the only logical choice for India. In contrast, a poorly researched decision influenced by external biased input will have serious consequences.
- If DRM is adopted to digitize also the FM band, these new cars may be upgraded to DRM reception in all bands at their next routine service, or at least provide manufacturers with a simple and inexpensive software-only upgrade path for new models. In contrast, not a single car sold in India today offers line-fit HD Radio support.
- Dual mode radios combining an open digital radio standard with a closed-source technology controlled by a single company do not exist anywhere, and there are no plans to create such a pairing as the development, testing and extra IPR costs and legal complications are prohibitive.
- Broadcasting standards need to be selected for the entire broadcast landscape: public, private, and community, as no regulator or government would go with the idea that one single group of stakeholders has the ultimate word and vote.
- There are several examples supplied by DRM member companies but as a genuine real-world example, my company, CML Micro has spent considerable effort and investment to develop a low cost ‘core technology’ component to enable the simple development and manufacture of suitable mass market receivers in India. These receivers support the ‘Make in India’ objective. As volumes of Indian-made receivers using our devices increase, we are ready to also manufacture our component in India and seek strategic partners for this objective. Our R&D effort took several years and considerable financial and human investment. We have created a world leading device (shown and demonstrated in India) with a specification that meets the needs of radio manufacturers based in India. We are very proud that one of those companies is in the process of mass producing a low-cost DRM radio receiver in India. These will be simple to use, yet fully featured mass market DRM capable receivers. These and other products now in development will create a portfolio of exciting world-class consumer electronic products from companies fully based in India. DRM is also slated for adoption in many markets outside India thus offering lucrative export opportunities. The emerging DRM eco-system in India is a success story which needs to be nurtured, not accidentally damaged by a lack of good information.
