Government to auction FM Radio Stations

In order to expand its reach, the government plans to hold a new auction of FM radio stations, launch an OTT platform, and conduct trials of direct-to-mobile television broadcasting this year, according to Information and Broadcasting Secretary Apurva Chandra.

"We are also working towards an auction of FM radio stations this year. "We hope to bring FM radio to Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities this year," he said at the Broadcast Engineering Society Expo here.

Despite the fact that there were a large number of FM radio stations, he claimed that the service only covered 60% of the country. According to Chandra, the government has allocated Rs 2,500 crore over a four-year period for the Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development (BIND) Scheme to broaden Prasar Bharati's reach, including in Left-wing extremism, border, and strategic areas. The scheme aims to boost public sector broadcasting in the country and focuses on Prasar Bharati infrastructure development, including All-India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan (DD).

IIT-Kanpur and Sankhya Labs, according to Chandra, have installed transmitters along Kartavya Path and adjacent areas to demonstrate how television signals can be directly broadcast to mobile phones. "You can now receive television signals directly on your mobile device. "This is an intriguing technology with the potential to expand the reach of television media," he said.