“D2M can augment or disrupt YouTube and Facebook”: Parag Naik of Tejas Networks

With the Indian government actively exploring frameworks for Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) communication, the country could soon witness a major transformation in how content is delivered to citizens. Saankhya Labs, working with Prasar Bharati and IIT Kanpur, is leading this charge with its indigenous D2M broadcast technology that integrates broadcasting and telecom networks for efficient video delivery.

Parag Naik, EVP of Tejas Networks, a company of Tata Group in an interview delves into the technological breakthroughs, policy ecosystem, and the immense market potential behind what could be India’s next big communication revolution.

How big is the D2M broadcast opportunity? What’s the market potential in India?

The market is significant—around $2–3 billion when you consider the full ecosystem: chipsets, network infrastructure, software, and services. We’re still in early stages, but the potential is huge. As for Saankhya Labs, being part of a listed entity, I can’t disclose revenue projections. But this is definitely one of the largest deep-tech opportunities emerging from India.

Saankhya Labs has been at the forefront of the direct-to-mobile communication revolution. Could you start by explaining what D2M is and why it represents such a significant shift for India’s digital ecosystem?

When we first started working on D2M, the goal was to deliver linear television directly to phones. But over time, the concept has evolved—it’s now a much broader video distribution platform. If you look at how video distribution evolved globally, it started with direct broadcast—TV, DTT, and radio—where content was pushed directly to users. Then came satellite and cable TV, separating content creation from distribution. Later, platforms like YouTube dominated online video distribution, making content creators share significant revenue with them.

Now, D2M combines the best of both broadcasting and the internet. It’s a new-age video distribution platform—not limited to mobile phones—but accessible on any device, whether it’s a laptop, tablet, or TV. Essentially, it delivers video efficiently, at the lowest possible cost, anytime and anywhere.

Given YouTube’s dominance in online video, can D2M challenge or disrupt such platforms?

It could augment or disrupt them—we’ll have to see how it evolves. But what’s clear is that D2M can reach places YouTube and Facebook currently cannot—like the 300 million feature phones in India that are effectively “YouTube and TV dark.”

So, rather than compete head-on, D2M extends access to new markets and users who are currently unserved. Whether it coexists with or eventually takes over other distribution platforms will depend on how the ecosystem matures.

Saankhya Labs is working closely with Prasar Bharati and IIT Kanpur. What’s the rollout timeline for D2M?

Subject to regulatory clearances, we expect rollout by mid next year. By late next year, we should see a commercial launch of D2M services.

Prasar Bharati has engaged Ernst & Young to help design a revenue model. What kind of model could work for D2M broadcasting?

Prasar Bharati already has a proven model through DD Freedish, which sells channel slots to content providers. It’s essentially a B2B-to-C system that generates revenue through slot auctions and viewership-based pricing. E&Y may propose refinements or new hybrid models. I also see a public service component, such as educational and informational programming, coexisting with premium content models—for instance, high-quality live sports like IPL, where latency and quality are critical.

Could D2M cannibalize DD Freedish?

Not at all. D2M will augment, not undermine, Freedish. It’s a superset of that model. Broadcasters could use both simultaneously. More importantly, D2M offers direct-to-consumer access without intermediaries like YouTube, which take a large revenue share and influence content visibility. From a geopolitical and commercial standpoint, D2M empowers Indian broadcasters to reach audiences directly.

Telecom operators believe D2M could eat into their revenues. How do you respond to that concern?

D2M is not a threat—it’s complementary. Think of it as one tool in a Swiss Army knife. It doesn’t replace telecom; it enhances it. D2M doesn’t have an uplink capability, so it still relies on telecom networks for that. It actually makes networks more efficient by offloading video traffic, improving QoS, and lowering bandwidth costs. Just like Wi-Fi didn’t kill mobile data, D2M won’t hurt telecom revenues—it will augment them.

For OTT platforms, D2M can also optimize content delivery. Most OTT traffic comes from a small percentage of popular content—say, 10% of videos watched 90% of the time. That segment is ideal for broadcast delivery. The rest can stay on unicast. So, D2M helps both telecom and OTT players expand reach—especially to 300 million off-grid users—and monetize new markets through microtransactions.

What makes D2M technologically distinct from existing video delivery platforms?

The key difference is that we’ve built the entire technology stack ourselves—from hardware and chipsets to broadcast software—while integrating it with telecom networks. Traditionally, broadcast and telecom operated in silos. D2M bridges that gap, bringing both worlds together seamlessly.

What are the major technological breakthroughs that make D2M viable today?

There are three major innovations. First, the broadcasting technology itself—it’s what we call a 6G broadcast technology, far more efficient for mobile networks than current 5G broadcast implementations. Second, the chip we designed in India supports multiple standards and underpins the entire ecosystem. Third, we’ve cellularized the broadcast architecture. Instead of relying on single, high-power broadcast towers like those in Worli or Pitampura, we use a distributed, cellular model that integrates seamlessly with telecom networks. These advancements collectively make D2M a reality.

Could you elaborate on the role of 6G broadcast and software-defined radio in enabling D2M?

Many so-called 5G broadcast standards are actually rebranded 4G standards. Our 6G approach allows us to mix multicast and unicast. That means combining broadcast efficiency with the flexibility of internet delivery. Earlier attempts at mobile TV in Japan or Korea weren’t seamlessly integrated with telecom networks. D2M changes that. Unicast networks weren’t designed for heavy video loads—they’re optimized for low-latency data, not mass video delivery. 6G, however, is about converging satellite, broadcast, and cellular technologies to offer ubiquitous connectivity. That’s the foundation of D2M.

What are the current challenges D2M faces in India?

On the technology front, we’ve overcome most hurdles. Our trials in Delhi have shown that the tech is stable. The device ecosystem is also in place—OEMs and chipset partners, including Intel, are on board.The remaining challenges are engineering and regulatory in nature. Scaling the network is a large but manageable engineering task. On the policy front, the government is taking a consensus-based approach to ensure that all stakeholders benefit, which is encouraging.

How are your partnerships shaping up with handset makers and telecom operators?

We’re working with Indian handset makers like Lava and HMD, who serve the feature phone market. D2M-enabled models have already been announced. We’re also in discussions with major global smartphone manufacturers.

The response has been overwhelmingly positive—there’s real curiosity and belief that this will enhance consumer experience and connectivity.