The Indian government is affirming its commitment to the advancement of Indian digital radio technology. As part of its initiative, as quoted in India Sets Stage for Digital Radio Revolution, the government is prioritising technology integration and light-touch regulations to bolster innovative content creation reflecting the cultural and linguistic diversity of the country and the manufacturing of digital products and solutions in India.

At a recent event held in New Delhi, Mr Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) – accompanied by Sanjiv Shankar, Joint Secretary MIB – announced plans to introduce digital FM radio broadcasting in 13 major cities across India. This is an older aspiration and recommendation of the Indian  regulator TRAI. The digital radio boost is seen by MIB as a positive step towards modernising and growing the radio industry and optimising spectrum efficiency while increasing the quality of Indian broadcasts.

The MIB Secretary did not mention a particular digital standard (DRM or HD) to be implemented in the 13 big cities as the announcement comes against the background of the continuing consultations between MIB and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on a comprehensive digital radio broadcast policy for private operators.

Mr Jaju said that digital radio can accommodate multiple channels on existing frequencies, offering significant benefits to both broadcasters and listeners. “Digital radio is the way forward. It allows for multiple channels on the existing spectrum, enabling operators to optimise revenues while providing consumers with maximum value from radio listening,” the MIB Secretary is quoted in MIB To Introduce Digital FM Radios In 13 Major Indian Cities, Says Sanjay Jaju.

According to the same press article, the government aims to minimise reliance on proprietary technologies and encourage open standards to ensure a seamless digital transition. “Our goal is to ensure that the transition is smooth and supported by modern technology,” Mr Jaju is quoted to have reassured broadcasters. Later he also highlighted that digital radio could bring a huge benefit to both broadcasters and listeners. “Digital radio is the way forward. It allows for multiple channels on the existing spectrum, enabling operators to optimise revenues while providing consumers with maximum value from radio listening,” he noted.

According to the authors of the above article, the government aims to minimise reliance on proprietary technologies and encourage open standards to ensure a seamless digital transition. “Our goal is to ensure that the transition is smooth and supported by modern technology,” Mr Jaju reassured broadcasters.

In a recent article published by The Hindu Business Line MIB may back open-source DRM tech for digital radio – The Hindu Businessline, the suggestion is that while the debate on FM band digitisation continues, Prasar Bharati has already deployed the open standard Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) for some of its radio stations, though this is mainly in AM (Medium Wave and Short Wave).

The author quotes the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting in its recent reply to Lok Sabha (or the Lower Chamber of the Indian Parliament) as a possible indication of the central authorities’ preference for an open standard, when it comes to choosing between the open Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) and the proprietorial HD standard: “Prasar Bharati (the public radio and TV broadcaster) has conducted experimental studies on two digital radio broadcasting standards in the popular FM band at Delhi and Jaipur during the years 2020 and 2021. Further, Prasar Bharati has stated that Akashwani (public radio broadcaster) has installed 35 Medium Wave (MW) and 3 Short Wave (SW) Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) Transmitters for Digital terrestrial radio broadcasting which are capable to operate in Digital mode, Analog mode and can simulcast in both modes. Further, 3 more Digital-ready MW transmitters have also been upgraded to MW DRM”.

Earlier in the autumn submissions to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) highlighted how the divide between the use of DRM versus HD Radio mirrored a larger debate over the use of open standard vs proprietary technology. DRM is an open standard, it is noted by the Hindu Business, and experts, like Professor V Sridhar from the International Institute of Information Technology in Bangalore, quoted in the article, are of the opinion that “in India open standards usually won .”

Research into the two technologies – the In-Band On-Channel (IBOC) or HD Radio system and the Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) system – and comments by sector experts suggest that the divide may be part of a larger debate of using open standard vs proprietary technology, and beyond radio.

In September 2024, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) launched a consultation paper regarding the digital radio broadcast policy (for FM) and invited comments from stakeholders.

The paper listed different standards for digital radio broadcasting including the HD Radio system and DRM standard. Subsequent submissions indicated that there was a marked preference for a single digital radio technology though there was no consensus on which technology it should be. In many submissions the point was made that DRM is already deployed in India. For more information on the DRM submissions and some of the key arguments please go to: DRM Presents Strong Arguments on FM Digitisation to Indian Regulator.