Govt ready to support radio sector expansion: Union Minister L Murugan

Discussions at the expo indicated strong industry alignment, with broadcasters backing HD Radio as a scalable and proven technology and device manufacturers prepared to integrate digital radio receivers across smartphones, feature phones, Bluetooth speakers and automobiles, subject to policy certainty from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan on Saturday said the government was ready to support further expansion of the country's radio ecosystem. Speaking at the Broadcast Engineering Society Expo, he said the government was encouraging expansion of FM radio even in Tier-3 cities. ''We have 839 FM stations in 313 cities. Community radio stations too are growing fast. We have 532 community radio stations. The government is ready to support the radio sector by granting licences,'' Murugan said. India's FM radio ecosystem may be heading towards its biggest transformation in decades, with private FM broadcasters and consumer device manufacturers signalling readiness to transition from analog to Digital FM using HD Radio. Discussions at the expo indicated strong industry alignment, with broadcasters backing HD Radio as a scalable and proven technology and device manufacturers prepared to integrate digital radio receivers across smartphones, feature phones, Bluetooth speakers and automobiles, subject to policy certainty from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The Electronics Design and Testing Centre in Noida has already indigenously developed consumer electronics products such as standalone radio receivers and Bluetooth speakers integrated with HD Radio. These devices, starting at entry-level pricing, will ensure mass-market adoption and a robust receiver ecosystem for digital radio. With the Broadcaster and device ecosystem aligned on HD Radio, industry stakeholders have highlighted India's massive device volumes as a unique advantage, noting that even partial adoption could rapidly place digital radio in millions of hands, reviving the idea of ''radio in every pocket'' for a new generation. ''While most broadcasters have chosen HD Radio as the platform of choice, India's widespread mobile adoption means technology choices must serve mobile-first listeners as well as in-car users,'' said Nisha Narayanan, Director and COO, Red FM. She said from a broadcaster's lens, the transition must be cost-effective, ensuring active participation by existing broadcasters, while lowering entry barriers for new players to join the digital radio ecosystem. The India Cellular and Electronics Association echoed this view, stressing adoption of a proven technology, ecosystem readiness and market-driven approach.

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