Mobile TV Industry Body Opposes New Standard

The mobile phone industry body, ICEA, has opposed the incorporation of a new standard for providing direct television service on handsets in the absence of its acceptance in global standards. The state-run Telecommunications Engineering Centre (TEC) had floated a consultation paper for television broadcasting directly on mobile handheld devices or Direct to Mobile Broadcasting technology.

ATSC 3.0 Not Proven and Globally Acceptable

In the process, TEC has sought industry views on incorporating a video standard, ATSC 3.0 in the national standard. According to the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA), whose members include Apple, Nokia, Lava, Foxconn, Dixon, etc., India is aggressively pushing for mobile manufacturing in the country and all the major brands are producing and exporting phones from India. The design and manufacture of mobile phones to incorporate ATSC 3.0 will adversely impact mobile manufacturing efforts.

The inclusion of any technology that is not proven and globally acceptable goes against the market forces and will derail the pace of domestic manufacturing and the most important exports for the exchequer, ICEA said in its comment to TEC.

ATSC 3.0 Will Increase the Cost of Mobile Phones

ICEA expects that the cost of adding ATSC 3.0 chips would incrementally increase the cost per phone, which in turn would have to be passed on to the consumer. Moreover, ATSC 3.0 does not appear to be favored by consumers. If there is a demand for this feature, manufacturers would have responded to that demand. To the best of our knowledge, as ATSC 3.0 is not available in commercial form anywhere in the world, no major mobile handset manufacturer has incorporated this technology across the globe, the industry body said.

Adoption of ATSC 3.0 as a National Standard Will Lead to Regulatory Mandate

ICEA expressed apprehension around the adoption of ATSC 3.0 as a National Standard as it will lead to a regulatory mandate to provide access to this technology in handsets. Forcing such a technology in hardware design negatively alters market forces and impedes innovation and technological growth, the industry body said.

ICEA Chairman Pankaj Mohindroo's Statement

When contacted, ICEA Chairman Pankaj Mohindroo said that the industry body always welcomes innovation and standards that provide more choices and better offerings to the Indian customer. We have, however, always taken a stand against mandates of technology adoption, especially if they are immature, not proven, and increase the cost of ownership of mobile devices for India. We believe any forced mandate at this stage will make the Indian mobile industry a costly experimental ground which we can ill afford, Mohindroo said.

The ICEA's opposition to the incorporation of ATSC 3.0 in the national standard is based on the grounds that it is not a proven and globally accepted technology, it will increase the cost of mobile phones, and it will lead to a regulatory mandate. The industry body believes that forced mandates of technology adoption will hinder innovation and technological growth in the Indian mobile industry.