The Indian government has made it clear that they want all mobile phone makers to offer FM Radio on their phones from here on.
FM Radio Mandate On Smartphones
In a recent development, the center has told the Indian Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) and the Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology (MAIT) to ensure that FM Radio is provided on all mobile phones.
The move can be helpful to people during natural calamities and emergencies, as per the report.
In this regard, the IT Ministry has issued an advisory that mandates all mobile phones should come equipped with a built-in radio receiver and enable it by default.
In case if a brand does not have it on their phones then they will have to include it as a part of the feature set.
MeitY said, “Further, it is advised that if the FM Radio receiver function or feature is not available in mobile phones, it may be included,” to ICEA and MAIT.
Now, they have to inform the manufacturers to make these changes on priority.
Gone Out Of Fashion
Besides the feature phones, most smartphones don’t have FM Radio these days.
The brands might have felt that with the growing streaming market and apps like YouTube, Radio was no longer needed.
While thinking so, they seem to have forgotten that radio service can be helpful in remote areas and costs less than what Apple offers with its Satellite tech on the iPhones.
In the last 4 to 5 years, the FM Radio feature has gone out of fashion, the IT Ministry has noted.
This simply means that a lot of people don’t get free FM Radio service anymore.
The ministry said, “The FM broadcast is a robust and reliable communication system. FM stations serve as important communication links between the local authorities and people in times of natural disasters (in catastrophic situations),”.
Further stating that even the International standards mandate having radio receivers for delivering early warnings and alerting the public.
In its advisory, the ministry said, “The availability of a vast network of FM transmitters and FM radio in the country played a key role in India’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic,”.
Let’s see how these manufacturers respond to this advisory.
Also, how quickly they will be able to integrate FM Radio receivers in their phones.
This new advisory seems to be intriguing for brands like Apple as they have never provided FM Radio on iPhones in any market.
