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 analogue to digital FM using HD Radio.
Discussions at the Broadcast Engineering Society (BES) Expo, being held from 29–31 January 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, 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 & Broadcasting (MIB).
The Electronics Design & Testing Centre (EDTC), 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.
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