Executive Summary

On October 3^rd the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recommended the adoption of a single national standard for digital radio in VHF Band II (88–108 MHz), emphasizing the need for efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and technological sovereignty.

Among globally recognized standards, Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) uniquely aligns with India’s regulatory vision and national priorities. It is the only open, ITU-endorsed digital radio standard that can operate across all broadcast bands—SW, MW, and FM—providing a unified platform for national, regional, local and community broadcasting.

Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) is India’s natural choice for the transition to digital radio broadcasting.

Adopting DRM as India’s digital radio standard will:

• Deliver a unified digital radio ecosystem that supports every broadcaster category.
• Deliver true simulcasting and Digital Coexistence
• Leverage Indian design, manufacturing, and innovation capacity under the Make in India 2.0 framework.
• Empower Digital India Mission goals by expanding free public access to information and education through open technologies.
• Provide Emergency Warning Functionality (EWF) integrated with national disaster-response systems.
• Ensure spectrum efficiency, affordability, and long-term sustainability across the country.

DRM is a strategic enabler of India’s vision for an inclusive, self-reliant, and digitally empowered media services.

Meeting India’s Strategic Requirements

India’s national objectives for digital radio broadcasting encompass openness, affordability, resilience, inclusivity, and industrial self-reliance. DRM fulfills these goals comprehensively.

1. Open Technology and Sovereignty

• DRM is an open, non-proprietary digital broadcasting standard approved by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
• Governed under Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory (FRAND) principles, DRM ensures transparent intellectual property licensing.
• There are no private (commercial) gatekeepers or foreign control; the technology remains accessible to all manufacturers, broadcasters, and developers.
• Adoption of DRM ensures that India’s broadcast infrastructure remains under national control, in full alignment with Atmanirbhar Bharat and Digital India missions.

2. Lowest Manufacturing Cost and Industrial Self-Reliance

• DRM enables the lowest total cost of ownership for broadcasters, manufacturers, and consumers.
• Its open structure and software-defined architecture reduce dependence on specialized hardware or costly IP licenses.
• All essential components—from transmitter chains to receiver chips—can be developed and manufactured within India, supporting domestic value addition and exports.

3. Resilient and Reliable Public Information Network

• DRM’s Emergency Warning Functionality (EWF) is fully integrated with India’s Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) system and has been tested by NDMA, C-DOT, and All India Radio.
• In crises, when mobile and internet networks may fail, DRM enables authorities to reach the public instantly via broadcast.
• EWF delivers multilingual, region-specific alerts—including audio, text, and graphics—without dependence on data connectivity.
• This makes DRM an essential element of India’s national disaster management and public information framework.

4. Inclusivity and Accessibility

• DRM supports community broadcasters and low-power stations, enabling digital inclusion across rural and remote areas.
• The Journaline text service allows the broadcast of educational content, public information, and news in all Indian languages and scripts.
• This ensures linguistic inclusivity, social cohesion, accessibility for hearing-impaired audiences, and alignment with India’s diversity

5. Secure Future and Freedom from Technological Lock-In

• DRM’s open governance and FRAND licensing conditions ensure long-term cost transparency for manufacturers and broadcasters.
• Once digital networks are established, the industry will remain independent of private commercial control or restrictive licensing.
• This guarantees continuity and technological self-determination for India’s public and private broadcasters.

Current Adoption in India

• All India Radio (AIR) is already broadcasting in DRM digital mode across medium wave (MW) and short wave (SW) bands.
  • 37 MW and 2 SW transmitters are operational; 4 MW and 2 SW transmitters are ready for activation.
  • DRM coverage currently reaches over 900 million people, including audiences in neighbouring countries.
  • Many transmitters already operate in simulcast mode (analog + digital), with periods of pure digital transmission.
• This provides a strong operational foundation for expanding DRM into VHF Band II (FM), ensuring a smooth and cost-efficient transition to nationwide digital coverage.

Established Receiver Ecosystem

Automotive

• India has achieved one of the world’s fastest digital radio deployments in the automotive sector.
• Over 12 million cars on Indian roads are equipped with DRM digital receivers, representing about 30% of new vehicles.
• DRM receivers are standard equipment, integrated into infotainment systems at no additional cost to consumers.
• Most existing car receivers are software-upgradable to receive DRM transmissions in VHF Band II, ensuring forward compatibility.

Mobile Phones

• DRM digital radio reception is possible on existing FM hardware without additional components.
• The built-in FM antenna or earphone jack serves as the reception front-end; the digital signal is decoded in software.
• The STARWAVES DRM SoftRadio app (available on Google, Amazon, and Huawei stores) already enables DRM reception on Android phones.
• Following government advisories and broadcaster rollouts, handset manufacturers can easily enable DRM FM functionality by default.
• Even existing mobile phones can be upgraded using low-cost USB FM dongles, turning millions of devices into DRM-capable radios.

Desktop and Home Radios

• Starwaves and Gospell have developed a range of desktop DRM receivers, already available in the Indian market.
• A low-cost DRM chipset, developed by CML Micro (UK) and Cambridge Consultants, is being localized for Indian manufacturing.
• Indian firms are preparing to mass-produce portable and desktop DRM receivers covering all broadcast bands, including VHF Band II.
• As private broadcasters and AIR expand DRM FM services, large-scale production will rapidly lower receiver costs, just as occurred with analog FM radios.

Ease of Implementation

DRM ensures a smooth and flexible transition to digital broadcasting with minimal disruption to ongoing FM operations.

• Simulcast Operation:
  • DRM supports single-transmitter simulcast, allowing analogue FM and digital DRM signals to broadcast from the same transmitter.
  • It also supports separate-transmitter simulcast, linking analogue and digital services seamlessly.
  • Up to 18 digital audio services and multiple data services can accompany a single analog FM service.
• CTI (Common Technical Infrastructure) Compatibility:
  • Existing FM CTIs can remain operational for analog services, while DRM digital signals are transmitted from wideband FM transmitters connected to the same or separate antennas.
  • This allows minimal modification, significantly reducing capital costs, and downtime.
• Listener Experience:
  • Broadcasters retain their existing FM frequency branding; listeners are automatically switched to the digital version through AFS (Alternate Frequency Switching).
  • Services appear in digital receivers by station name, logo, and label, ensuring seamless user familiarity.

DRM’s flexibility makes it ideal for both public and private broadcasters, supporting shared infrastructure, independent expansion, and phased digital migration.

Spectrum Efficiency and Technical Superiority

Efficient spectrum management is a central requirement for India’s broadcasting future. Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) provides exceptional spectral efficiency while preserving full-service continuity for existing FM broadcasters through true simulcasting.

True Simulcasting – Seamless Analog and Digital Coexistence

True simulcasting is the ability to broadcast analog FM and DRM digital services simultaneously, from the same or separate transmitters, without interrupting existing analog listeners. DRM allows broadcasters to maintain their current FM frequency branding, ensuring that listeners tuning to the analog FM frequency are automatically switched to the corresponding digital service via Alternate Frequency Switching (AFS).

True simulcast in DRM enables:

• Simultaneous transmission of the analog FM program along with multiple independent digital services (additional audio programs or data).
• Seamless switching between analog and digital signals during reception, with no manual tuning required.
• Uniform service metadata, station logos, and names across analog and digital modes for consistent listener experience.

This feature ensures broadcasters can digitally expand their offerings while retaining their analog audience, creating a smooth, non-disruptive migration path.

Efficient Spectrum Utilization

• In simulcast operation, DRM can deliver one analog and multiple digital audio and data services within 300 kHz of spectrum, offering high service density per channel.
• The configuration can be scaled to include up to six DRM digital blocks, providing as many as 18 digital audio services and six data services within 800 kHz.
• DRM’s ability to operate in existing FM channels and utilize unused spectrum white spaces between analog transmitters maximizes efficiency.
• The same infrastructure can support Single Frequency Networks (SFNs), allowing multiple transmitters to broadcast identical digital content over a single frequency — reducing interference and improving coverage.

Technical Strength and Reliability

• DRM employs advanced error correction, adaptive power control, and flexible bandwidth modes to deliver robust reception under both mobile and stationary conditions.
• The system provides superior audio quality with reduced power consumption and optimized operational costs.
• Its scalability supports all levels of broadcasting — from high-power national stations to low-power community services — within a unified digital framework.
• The DRM system also supports data-based services such as Journaline, traffic updates, emergency alerts, and education content without additional frequencies.

In summary, true simulcasting, combined with DRM’s spectrum efficiency and technical versatility, ensures that India’s migration to digital radio can proceed smoothly, preserving existing services while unlocking new content, coverage, and innovation — all within the same spectrum resources.

Unified National Digital Radio System

Adopting DRM across AM, SW, MW, and FM bands creates a single, harmonized national digital radio ecosystem.

Key benefits include:

• Unified technical standard across all bands — simplifying regulation and receiver design.
• Seamless user experience, as listeners use one receiver type across all services.
• Cross-band continuity, enabling nationwide reach from urban FM to rural MW and SW networks.
• Full backward compatibility, ensuring existing DRM-capable devices (in cars, homes, or mobiles) can receive new VHF transmissions.
• Streamlined industrial strategy, focusing India’s R&D, chipset design, and manufacturing investments on one scalable platform.

This unified system will deliver uninterrupted, high-quality, multilingual, and emergency-ready digital broadcasting to every corner of India.

Make in India Leadership

India is now a global hub for DRM technology design and manufacturing.

• NXP India, based in Bengaluru, has developed a world-leading DRM chipset, which powers receivers both domestically and abroad.
• Inntot Technologies, an award-winning Indian start-up, has created a software-based DRM receiver for generic processors. Over 17 lakh cars in India currently use DRM receivers based on Inntot’s design.
• OptM Media Solutions Pvt Ltd, also based in Bengaluru, develops both transmission and reception technologies for DRM networks.
• Indian-made DRM chipsets and receiver modules are being exported to international markets, demonstrating India’s growing global leadership in broadcast technology manufacturing.

This thriving domestic ecosystem aligns perfectly with the Make in India 2.0 policy and positions India as a global supplier of DRM components, software, and finished receivers.

Conclusion

Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) is India’s natural choice for the transition to digital radio broadcasting.
 It is:

• Open and Sovereign – ensuring long-term independence and transparency.
• Efficient and Scalable – optimized for India’s vast geography and dense urban markets.
• Inclusive and Accessible – serving all broadcasters and listeners across languages, regions, and economic segments.
• Proven and Ready – already deployed by AIR and supported by Indian industry.
• Aligned with National Policy – advancing Make in India 2.0, Digital India, and Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Adopting DRM as India’s single digital radio standard ensures a unified, secure, and future-proof national broadcasting ecosystem that empowers citizens, strengthens domestic industry, and upholds India’s vision of a digitally empowered, self-reliant nation.