Denmark - Current situation - History
26.06.2015
On 29th April 2015 the Danish Ministry of Culture, together with all political parties, finalised and published a new roadmap for digital radio, saying "the limited frequency space on FM means that we will eventually turn off FM". Read the press release here. The overall focus of the roadmap is to speed up the process of utilising capacity in the DAB network and to secure a more rapid development of the network.
Key features of the roadmap are:
- decision to switch off FM to be taken when 50% of listening is digital (currently at 28%)
- swap of content on MUX1 and MUX2 at the end of 2016 which will ensure that available frequencies can be brought into use, making it possible to have a commercial network operator of MUX1
- "Gatekeeper Model" will be adopted for MUX 1 (currently owned by Danish Radio) which will drive the market
- full transition from DAB to DAB+ by end 2016
- new licences for spare capacity in MUX3 will be available by end 2015. In the first phase the mulitiplex will be launched with 82 regional channels. Most of them will be simulcasts of FM stations.
The consensus is that FM shutdown is inevitable, in order to offer listeners more choice and the goal is to stimulate new channels on DAB. By end 2015 new licences will be available for application, and a shift from DAB to DAB+ is now underway.
Denmark has one of the highest numbers of DAB users per capita in the world, with 40% of the population having access to a digital radio. Public service broadcaster DR (Danish Radio) began regular services in 2002 and more than 10% of all radio listening is now on DAB.
29.04.2015
On 29th April 2015 the Danish Ministry of Culture, together with all political parties, finalised and published a new roadmap for digital radio, saying "the limited frequency space on FM means that we will eventually turn off FM". Read the press release here. The overall focus of the roadmap is to speed up the process of utilising capacity in the DAB network and to secure a more rapid development of the network.
Key features of the roadmap are:
- decision to switch off FM to be taken when 50% of listening is digital (currently at 26%)
- swap of content on MUX1 and MUX2 at the end of 2016 which will ensure that available frequencies can be brought into use, making it possible to have a commercial network operator of MUX1
- "Gatekeeper Model" will be adopted for MUX 1 (currently owned by Danish Radio) which will drive the market
- full transition from DAB to DAB+ by end 2016
- new licences for spare capacity in MUX3 will be available by end 2015
The consensus is that FM shutdown is inevitable, in order to offer listeners more choice and the goal is to stimulate new channels on DAB. By end 2015 new licences will be available for application, and a shift from DAB to DAB+ is now underway.
Denmark has one of the highest numbers of DAB users per capita in the world, with 32% of the population having access to a digital radio. Public service broadcaster DR (Danish Radio) began regular services in 2002 and more than 10% of all radio listening is now on DAB.
27.09.2014
Denmark has one of the highest numbers of DAB users per capita in the world, with 32% of the population having access to a digital radio.
Public service broadcaster DR (Danish Radio) began regular services in 2002 and more than 10% of all radio listening is now on DAB.
Since 1 November 2011, DR broadcasts exclusively on DAB multiplex 1 except for a news loop, and multiplex 2 is reserved for commercial broadcasters.
The latest parliamentary Media Agreement 2012-2014 stipulates that the FM band will close in 2019 if at least 50% of radio listening is on digital platforms by that time. As part of the agreement, the national single-frequency DAB block now used by public service broadcaster DR may be swapped on the 1st of January 2015 for the two DAB regional frequency blocks presently employed for a single commercial multiplex. The proposed frequency swap will also mark the switch-over of all Danish DAB transmissions to the more efficient DAB+ standard. This increases the total transmission capacity of DR enough to migrate its nine regional FM-only stations to DAB, and allow the commercial multiplex to develop further.