Samsung: Why Samsung, Qualcomm and others are not in favour of government’s ‘live TV on smartphones’ proposal

The Indian government is said to be planning to bring in a policy that will make it mandatory for smartphone makers to equip their devices with technology that will enable them to receive live TV signals without the need for cellular networks. The government has reportedly proposed the use of so-called ATSC 3.0 technology that allows precise geo-locating of TV signals and provides high picture quality.It is said to be popular inNorth America.
However, according to a report in the news agency Reuters, Samsung and Qualcomm are not in favour of integrating the technology in their smartphones. The existing smartphones in India are not equipped to work with ATSC 3.0 and integration of the technology will force these companies to make hardware changes, which in turn will push device cost. According to the report, any efforts to add compatibility will raise the cost of each device by $30 as more components need to be added. Some fear that this may also hurt their existing manufacturing plans.
What smartphone makers have to say
In a joint letter to India’s communication ministry, smartphone brands and telecom gear makers have said that they do not see any merit in the inclusion of this technology. Companies including Samsung, Qualcomm, Ericsson and Nokia have signed the letter. The letter reportedly claims that adding direct-to-mobile broadcasting can affect a smartphone’s battery performance and cellular reception.
The report, however, clarifies that the proposal is still under discussion and may not be rolled out.

The India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA), the industry association comprising smartphone makers including Apple, Xiaomi, Oppo and others sent a similar letter earlier this year. ICEA’s letter reportedly notes that no major handset maker globally supports ATSC 3.0, at least currently.
“The inclusion of any technology which is not proven and globally acceptable … will derail the pace of domestic manufacturing,” added the ICEA letter.

The adoption of digital broadcasts of TV channels on smartphones has also been limited in countries like South Korea and the US. The company’s executives also said that the technology was unable to gain traction due to the lack of devices that support it.
Why government wants smartphone makers to introduce live TV broadcast tech
The government’s proposal to introduce a live TV broadcast feature on phones is aimed to offload congestion on telecom networks due to high video consumption.
This is not the first time for companies in India’s smartphone sector to reject a policy proposal. Earlier, smartphone makers pushed back on the country’s move to make phones compatible with a home-grown navigation system and another proposal of making security testing for handsets mandatory.