29-04-2025
Lava, HMD Unveil D2M Technology for Feature Phones at WAVES 2025
HMD Mobile Devices and Lava on Monday unveiled plans to introduce feature phones equipped with direct-to-mobile (D2M) technology at the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025, set for May 1–4 at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai.
Lava said its model, developed with Tejas Networks, will run on a MediaTek MT6261 system-on-chip paired with a Saankhya SL3000 tuner. The handset will include a 2.8-inch display, a 2,200 mAh battery and a UHF antenna to receive terrestrial television broadcasts.
HMD Mobile Devices confirmed it will offer its own D2M-enabled feature phone powered by the SL3000 chipset from Saankhya Labs but did not disclose further specifications.
D2M technology lets handsets pull video and audio streams directly from broadcast airwaves, bypassing Wi-Fi or mobile data. Content from platforms such as YouTube and Netflix is delivered via broadcast signals to a built-in tuner, similar to FM radio reception on mobile devices.
Beyond entertainment, D2M can carry emergency alerts and educational programming over existing broadcast networks. Prasar Bharati has conducted live network tests of the technology in India under Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) 3.0 standards, targeting mobile handsets.
Despite rising smartphone use, more than 230 million people in India still rely on feature phones. D2M could bring live sports, news alerts and video content to users without internet access, offering an alternative delivery path for multimedia services.
