France - Current situation - History
01.02.2008
The French government has recently announced that the Eureka 147 family of standards was chosen for its digital radio standard. In December 2007 the French Minister for Culture and Communication signed the decrees that officially launched digital radio in France. As soon as the Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel (CSA) determines the network parameters there will be a call for tenders (this is expected for spring of 2008). Licenses could therefore be given as early as summer 2008. Roll out is planned for Christmas 2008 with an initial objective of 50% population coverage. Currently French radio broadcasters are working with manufacturers to ensure receivers are compatible with the Eureka 147 family of standards.
19.01.2008
In December 2007, the French government signed a decree sanctioning implementation of DRM and T-DMB Audio in VHF band III and L band as the terrestrial digital radio standards to be implemented in the country.
01.09.2007
In September 2006, the main French radio broadcasters, representing 95% of the radio audience, joined together to form the “Groupement pour la Radio Numérique” (GRN) to support the launch of digital radio through DMB and its MPEG 4 encoding. On the 1st February 2007 the French National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale) adopted a law, which stated that the Eureka 147 Family of Standards was its chosen digital radio standard, with T-DMB as the preferred choice for digital radio. The Ministry of Industry confirmed this choice in March 2007. The French administration has released a project of decree, indicating that DMB is the standard that must be used in France for digital radio in Band III and L-band. The CSA, the French regulatory body, has created a working group on digital radio and has now authorised eight trials to take place in France for a duration of six months; six in DMB, one in DMB and DAB+ and one in DRM, after which calls for tenders should be launched in Autumn 2007 ready for a commercial launch in 2008.