Malta - Current situation - History
13.08.2010
Malta boasts a vibrant and growing DAB+ community of services. The regulator, the Malta Broadcasting Authority, has embraced digital radio and multi-media broadcasting and its enthusiasm has transferred to the Maltese population.
Digi B Network, which operates the island country's national mux, hopes to increase available services to around 40 channels. Among the stations already on air is an international mix including channels in Italian, French and German, plus the BBC World Service and Voice of America. And there is plenty of choice among local stations too with genres such as opera, pop, classical, news, religion, sport and jazz.
Digi B Network also designs and manufacturers DAB+ radios and has brought out the first DAB+ enabled car stereo for both domestic use and export.
25.03.2010
Malta was the first European country to roll out a DAB+ network dna services were on-air in October 2008. There are 28 channels on-air at the current time including some test services and additional data services including MOT, EPG and DLS are also on-air. Population coverage has now reach 100% and in a survey published in the Radio and Television Audience Assesment carried out recently by the Malta Broadcasting Authority confirmed that listening via the digital radio platform had increased to 10.10% by the end of 2009.
Once the DAB+ network will offer more coverage than the national FM platform. Some stations, previously unavailable on the island, are not being broadcast on the digital platform including BBC World.
03.09.2008
DigiB Network has now started DAB+ trials. It is broadcasting on Block 6A and carrying 20 services. The commercial launch is planned for October 2008, when the number of services will be increased to 30. EPG/DLS and SLS will all become part of the service. The network has one transmitter site, that can cover most of Malta's population of 400,000 inhabitants.
These developments follow on from the licence that was awarded by the Malta Communications Authority in 2006. The country’s four terrestrial DAB frequencies are expected to reach 95% coverage and the licences run for eight years, subject to review after six.