WorldDAB member focus: Factum Radioscape

05.02.2025 - - Factum Radioscape WorldDAB Member - United Kingdom

by Rebecca Keene, Stakeholder Relations Manager, WorldDAB

Q&A with James Waterson, Sales Manager at Factum Radioscape

Factum Radioscape has recently joined WorldDAB as a member, why have you joined?

Factum Radiocape have joined WorldDAB to connect with the digital radio community, share ideas, and stay in the loop with the latest industry developments. It’s a great platform to learn about new standards like the Automatic Safety Alert (ASA) system and help shape where DAB is heading. We're excited to attend events like WorldDAB Automotive and the WorldDAB Summit to showcase our products and to network with key stakeholders, and also the Technical Committee to contribute to DAB development and collaborate on advancing the technology.

What market does your company support and what services do you provide?

We support broadcasters, network operators, and media regulators worldwide, focusing on UK, Europe, Australia, Asia, and emerging markets like Africa. Our products include our multiplexer (MultiMuxa), audio dynamics processors (Cadenza) and encoders, and monitoring systems (MultiMonitor and OBSERVA Field Monitor) for DAB+. We share our knowledge from design to deployment, making it easier for our customers to launch and manage digital radio networks. We have been involved in many small-scale DAB projects in UK with the aim of making multiplexing systems smarter, low-cost, simple to operate, and highly reliable.

Can you tell us about your most recent projects?

We recently upgraded the commercial and community DAB+ multiplexes in Australia with our partner TXA, providing modern, reliable systems for multiple broadcasters in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. Another project involved a centralised system to operate six DAB ensembles through a single management console in Switzerland, saving operation overhead and reducing the IT footprint. In addition, we have helped newcomers to DAB in Thailand and African countries by educating them on the technology and sharing our experiences with other successful launches.

What do your customers value most from you?

The key questions we asked ourselves: "what will the radio industry look like in the next 10 years, and how can we help more broadcasters make the most of DAB technology?". Through engagement with our partners in broadcasting, we took our products back to the drawing board to re-design them to be streamlined and easy to use. The feedback we received from our customers is that we have successfully simplified the operation and management of DAB multiplexes, making the technology accessible to all DAB radio broadcasters. Our customers value our willingness to refine our products to meet their requirements.

What advice would you give someone considering deploying DAB+?

First and foremost is to get the public excited about digital radio! DAB provides a vehicle for different content and genres to go to air, so niche stations are welcome. When it comes to deployment, plan thoroughly and think long-term - should there be scope for future growth of DAB services, ensure the platform you use is scalable and maintained to the latest standards. Every project is different, so it is worth engaging with experienced partners to share expertise and advise, and ask for a loan of their products to trial to ensure you find the best solution for your needs.