Samsung, Qualcomm Join List Of Companies Opposing India's Push For Live TV On Smartphones

Samsung and Qualcomm have now reportedly joined the fray of companies opposing India's choice of technology to bring live TV broadcasts on smartphones, asserting that the required hardware changes will drive a device's cost higher by $30, said a Reuters report on the basis of letters reviewed.

According to the report, India is mulling a policy to make it mandatory for smartphones to be equipped with hardware to receive live TV signals sans the need for cellular networks. For this, the use of so-called ATSC 3.0 technology has been proposed that enables precise geo-locating of TV signals and provides high picture quality.

Companies have however said that their existing smartphones in India are not equipped to work with ATSC 3.0, and now if they try to add that compatibility it will increase the cost of each device by $30 as more components need to be added. Meanwhile, some companies are skeptical that this will hurt their existing manufacturing plans.

As per the report, in a joint letter sent to India's communication ministry, Samsung, Qualcomm, and telecom gear makers Ericsson and Nokia maintained that adding direct-to-mobile broadcasting can also degrade the battery performance of devices as well as cellular reception.

"We do not find any merit in progressing discussion on the adoption of this," said the letter dated October 17 and reviewed by Reuters.

These four companies and India's communication ministry have not commented anything on the matter. The proposal is still under deliberation and could be revised, and there is no definite timeline for execution, said the report quoting a source familiar with the matter.

Digital broadcast of TV channels on smartphones has witnessed limited adoption in countries such as South Korea and the United States. This has not gained traction because of a lack of devices that support the technology, said executives.

India's policy proposal to bring live TV broadcasts on smartphones has faced opposition from firms operating in India's smartphone sector. In recent months, the firms also pushed back on India's move to make phones compatible with a domestic navigation system and another proposal to mandate security testing for handsets.

The Indian government sees live TV broadcast features as a way to offload the congestion on telecom networks because of higher video consumption.

The India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA), a lobbying group of smartphone makers that represents Apple, Xiaomi and other companies, opposed the move privately in a letter dated October 16, saying no major handset manufacturer globally currently supports ATSC 3.0.

According to research firm Counterpoint, Samsung tops India's smartphone market with a 17.2% share, Xiaomi has a 16.6% share, while Apple has a 6% market share.