The one-day National Seminar 'DRM: The Future of Indian Radio -
Business Opportunities for Stakeholders' on 28 February, organised by
the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in co-operation with the
DRM Consortium, was the first of its kind involving technology
specialists, broadcasters and representatives of Government and
industry. The seminar In New Delhi attended by over 120 participants
focused on the opportunities offered by the current roll-out of
digital radio to the Indian industry. Several speakers stressed that
All India Radio (AIR) was equipped to launch DRM, which would make all
short wave and medium wave channels available to everyone in
FM-quality over an area and at a cost that no current or future FM
plan could match. The reach would be unlike FM which was today
available to around 45 per cent of the country (including 25 per cent
coverage by private channels). On the other hand, medium wave covered
the entire country.
Several speakers also said AIR examined in great detail all the
options, made a judicious proposal sanctioned by the Indian government
which was as recent as last month endorsed by an advisor to the Prime
Minister. All India Radio (AIR) Deputy Director General (Engineering)
S K Saxena stressed that 36 DRM transmitters were in various stages of
implementation in the country under a plan approved by the Planning
Commission. Officials of the AIR said that the commissioning of 100
kW, 200 kW and 300 kW Transmitters is likely to be over by end of
December 2014. Eight DRM transmitters are already on air in simulcast,
though AIR would like to move eventually to a digital signal only. AIR
is in the process of replacing or converting 72 MW transmitters to
digital ones across the country, which should increase coverage to 70
per cent of the Indian population, representing some 800 million
people. As it was stressed throughout the day by many Indian and
foreign speakers, DRM technology provides the listeners with enhanced
audio quality, service reliability, added data services, emergency
warning alerts, targeted advertising and a more efficient transmission
system that greatly lowers the power costs.
FM, while popular in India, said Yogendra Pal, Honorary Chairman of
the DRM Indian Platform, is spectrum hungry and not an answer in
places like Delhi "where AIR alone would need up to 25 niche channels,
an impossibility". Later in his presentation Matthias Stoll of Ampegon
demonstrated how one 100KW DRM medium wave transmitter, working at
90 % efficiency, would need to be replaced with 15 FM transmitters of
10 kW working at 55% efficiency, if an area of about 600 kilometres is
to be covered.
Referring to criticism that affordable DRM sets were not available,
AIR Engineering-in-Chief R K Budhiraja said that four Indian
manufacturers had expressed interest in manufacturing affordable DRM
sets in response to a tender floated by AIR, provided there was
content and demand.
The clear aim of the seminar was to tackle head on the question of
receivers. And the CII event did not disappoint as it included a full,
lively session with excellent contributions from representatives of
chipset manufacturers (like Analog Devices, NXP), local entrepreneurs
engaged already in designing or even manufacturing receivers. All
speakers underlined the need for the industry to grasp this
opportunity, for the government to support the revival of the
indigenous electronics industry and for the public broadcaster to give
serious attention and support to the roll-out, content creation and
communication of a project with vast possibilities. Thus, Mr TVB
Subrahmanyam of Analog Devices gave a clear picture of the potential
yearly DRM market of about 16 million desktop, mobile and car radios,
estimated at possibly a value of up to half a billion dollars.
Mr Ashak Chandok of NXP gave examples of the excellent tests carried
out in cars in areas already covered by AIR DRM transmitters. If
mobiles and cars are a clear market opportunity, Mr Ankit Aggrawal of
Communication Systems Inc. offered a glimpse into the first Indian
made desktop DRM receiver with all extra DRM features, ready to be
produced very soon. Businessmen like A Kharabanda and Mr Ramendra
Baoni talked about the excitement, the real challenges and great
opportunities the DRM receiver market affords those willing to take
the risk. All speakers mentioned that the price of receivers is
dependent on good, desirable content and on volume while no price was
really mentioned. Mr V Sharma, Chairman of CII National Committee on
ICTE Manufacturing, sees the next step as getting the DRM receivers to
be recognised by the government and manufacturers as one of the
critical products deserving interest and investment.
Ruxandra Obreja, DRM Chairman, says that: " All in all this was the
most successful meeting held by the DRM with the industry in India to
date. The CII event offered up to the minute information on the roll
out and actual DRM transmissions on the air and excellent news on DRM
production. The buzz was all positive and palpable especially when one
of the speakers Alexander Zink of Fraunhofer IIS demonstrated the
sound qualities of DRM and then produced a regular tablet receiving
DRM "live" on an attached dongle."
The progress on DRM in India and other key countries will figure
prominently during the DRM General Assembly scheduled to take place on
March 26th.
(Press Release)
