Digital Transformation, Going Out Policy and Chinese Standards: An Investigation on the Development of DTMB Standard, 1987-2017

The goal of this project is a multi-perspective investigation on China’s Digital Terrestrial Multimedia Broadcast standard (abbreviated as DTMB), focusing on the interplay between Chinese administrations (such as Standardization Administration of China) and international organizations (such as International Telecommunication Union). Through examine the development progress of DTMB and how it is implemented into the international standards system, multiple aspects include China’s ICT policy environment, legal frameworks, digital infrastructure, regional and transnational interest groups, and patent system will be addressed and analyzed. DTMB makes a perfect case on Chinese ICT development and its dynamic relationship with the world market, especially in context of the newly proposed Digital Silk Road. As the most relevant host institution, Tsinghua University is the birthplace of DTMB standard, abundant material could be obtained by onsite research. Plus, continuing cooperation between China Media Observatory, Switzerland and the School of Journalism and Communication, China on this growing project will bring new opportunities to both parties.