India’s Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) Phones - Free Stream Technologies, Lava International and HMD Partner Ahead of Field Trials

MUMBAI, India & BALTIMORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- JIO WORLD CENTRE -- On the occasion of World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025, FreeStream Technologies (incubated at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur), Lava International and HMD announce launch plans under way to meet mass consumer demand for Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) phones ahead of large-scale field trials in India.

In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clarion call for Viksit Bharat, (economic transformation of India) Direct-to-Mobile is a broadcasting technology that uses terrestrial TV broadcast airwaves to deliver live TV, video, audio & text messages (multimedia content) of public and national importance (such as entertainment, sports, educational programming and emergency alerts) directly to phones without the need for Wi-Fi or internet service.

Giving a boost to the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Design in India’ efforts, low cost featurephones, smartphones and tablets are powered by Tejas Networks (Saankhya Labs) SL-3000 D2M chipsets, as previously announced. In addition, Tejas Networks has developed a suite of infrastructure hardware and software products for D2M deployment in collaboration with Sinclair, Inc. This technology has been under test in live networks by Prasar Bharati in partnership with IIT Kanpur and Tejas Networks over the past several years.

Sumeet Nindrajog, Director of Free Stream Technologies, said, “We are pleased that Lava and HMD are doing the groundwork to rapidly create a viable device ecosystem for a nationwide deployment road map. Their willingness to supply in scale is the best vote of confidence for the future success of D2M.”

Sanjeev Agarwal, Executive Director, Lava International, said, “Our D2M featurephone design incorporates the modem and the apps in a clever way to maintain low cost, which is a hallmark of our devices.”

Ravi Kunwar, CEO & VP India & APAC, HMD India, said, “HMD has always been committed to staying ahead of the innovation curve and delivering the best consumer experience. With this philosophy at the core of our mission, we're excited to be a part of the D2M journey. This groundbreaking, first-of-its-kind platform worldwide enables our consumers to access a vast array of multimedia content.”

Parag Naik, co-founder of erstwhile Saankhya Labs and Executive Vice President, Tejas Networks, said, “The phones are powered by Saankhya’s award winning SL-3000 chipset, which is the foundational D2M enabler. We have also developed the Core Network platform that will enable delivery of targeted ads, CDN offload, educational content, emergency alerts and other apps that will empower the consumers furthering PM Modi’s vision of a digitally empowered India.”

Chris Ripley, President and CEO, Sinclair, Inc., said, “Large scale adoption of ATSC 3.0 in affordable mobile devices vindicates Sinclair’s forethought in leading US and global deployment of this broadcast standard as ‘mobile first’ and in investing in Made by India technology. To meet future 6G goals, we are spearheading the next release of the standard – ‘Broadcast to Everything’ (B2X) which will unleash next generation broadcast apps for numerous verticals.”

About FreeStream

Incubated at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IITK), Free Stream Technologies Pvt. Ltd. is India's first and only 'Chips to Platform' DeepTech start-up that is focused on developing, deploying, and managing nationwide network infrastructure for cutting-edge Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) broadcast technology and related platform services. We communicate our growth strategy at www.freestream.ai.

About Lava International Limited

#ProudlyIndian | Made in India, Made for India

Lava International Limited, headquartered in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, is a pioneering mobile handset and solutions company in India, founded in 2009 with the vision to empower individuals. The company's corporate office and manufacturing facility, equipped with a production capacity of 42.52 million handsets per annum, are strategically located in Noida. Lava's commitment to innovation is reflected in its two state-of-the-art research and development centers in Noida, housing dedicated teams in software and hardware design. The company's extensive nationwide presence is facilitated by a robust retail network of 1.65 Lakh retailers, directly served by over 1000 distributors, and supported by a vast after-sales service network of 800+ professionally managed service centers. The brand has a global presence in 20+ countries. For further information, see www.lavamobiles.com.

About HMD

Headquartered in Espoo, Finland, HMD Oy ("HMD") is the home of Nokia phones. HMD's mission is to provide accessible connectivity for everyone. HMD designs and markets a range of smartphones and feature phones and an expanding portfolio of innovative service offerings. With an ongoing commitment to security, durability, reliability, and quality across its range, HMD is the proud exclusive licensee of the Nokia brand for phones and tablets. For further information, see www.hmdglobal.com.

About Tejas Networks Limited

Tejas Networks (BSE: 540595) (NSE: TEJASNET), Tejas Networks Ltd. designs and manufactures high-performance wireline and wireless networking products for telecommunications service providers, internet service providers, utilities, defense and government entities in over 75 countries. Tejas Networks Ltd. is a part of the Tata Group, with Panatone Finvest Ltd. (a subsidiary of Tata Sons Pvt. Ltd.) being the majority shareholder. Tejas Networks acquired Saankhya Labs, an innovative leading-edge technology company with a breadth of wireless communication system solutions. Saankhya Labs offered a wide range of communication products for 5G NR, Broadcast and Satellite Communication applications. With over 100 international technology patents and unique 'chipset-to-systems' expertise, Saankhya’s solutions included the award-winning SDR chipsets for communication, next gen Open RAN Solutions for 5G networks, multi-standard direct to mobile (D2M) broadcast and Satcom solutions. For more information, visit www.tejasnetworks.com.

About Sinclair

Sinclair, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBGI) is a diversified media company and a leading provider of local news and sports. Sinclair’s ONE Media subsidiary has a vision to build and globally deploy innovative “Next Generation” platforms and technologies for wireless broadcast of enhanced video, data, and nationally important services. Sinclair and ONE Media regularly use their websites as key sources of company information which can be accessed at www.sbgi.net and www.onemediallc.com respectively.

Category: General

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Media contacts:

Lava International: Anasua Mitra +91 78382 36770 anasua.mitra@lavainternational.in

HMD: Abhishek Ranjan abhishek.ranjan@hmdglobal.com

Tejas Networks: Vivek Kimbahune vivekki@tejasnetworks.com

Sinclair/ONE Media Technologies: Jessica Bellucci jbellucci-c@sbgtv.com

Source: Sinclair, Inc.