The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) organised a symposium on ‘Emerging Trends and Technologies in the Broadcasting Sector’ on October 17, 2024, at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, on the sidelines of the India Mobile Congress (IMC-2024).
The symposium explored the transformative potential and practical applications of emerging technologies within the broadcasting industry, with a particular focus on immersive technologies, direct to mobile (D2M) and 5G broadcasting and digital radio. More than 100 national and international participants, including key stakeholders from the broadcasting industry, technology giants, device manufacturers and government gathered to engage in the insightful discussions and explore the future of broadcasting in the digital age.
The symposium has been structured in three back-to-back sessions designed to cover significant topics shaping the broadcasting landscape. The sessions have been chaired by distinguished industry leaders and officers from government, including Vishal Arya, head of technology, Tata Play Limited, Ashok Kumar, deputy director general (DDG), Department of Telecommunication (DoT) and Syed Tausif Abbas, DDG, DoT.
The first session, titled ‘Use of Immersive Technologies in the Broadcasting Landscape,’ delved into how technologies like augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) can revolutionise content creation and consumption in broadcasting. Experts from broadcasting domain alongside technology innovators presented the use cases to highlight how immersive technologies can enhance viewer engagement, create richer experiences and reshape the future of media content delivery.
The second session, ‘D2M and 5G Broadcasting: opportunities and challenges,’ discussed the two major technological standards namely ATSC 3.0 and 5G broadcasting (based on the third generation partnership project (3GPP) standard) to facilitate the seamless direct reception of content to mobile handsets, potentially transforming how users’ access and consume media. The sessions also discussed the trials being conducted and challenges such as requirement of the infrastructure, spectrum, end device ecosystem etc.
The third session, ‘Digital Radio Technology: deployment strategies in India,’ examined the strategies for deploying digital radio for the Indian market. Experts discussed the advantages digital radio offers, including superior sound quality, spectrum efficiency and the ability to deliver multimedia services, along with the challenges and solutions for interoperability with existing analogue networks, enabling a smoother transition to digital broadcasting.
These discussions are expected to play a key role in transforming future policies for the broadcasting sector in India, ensuring the development of an inclusive and innovative broadcasting ecosystem.
