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Political decision-makers, broadcasters and car manufacturers met at the Brussels Motor Show on 18 January to draw attention to new EU rules requiring all new car stereos to receive digital terrestrial radio within two years.

The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy has drafted a bill to amend the Telecommunications Act (TKG), with the aim of promoting and facilitating the adoption of DAB+ in Germany, and aligning national legislation with EU regulations.

All new cars in Europe will need to be equipped with a radio receiver compatible with DAB+, which will gradually succeed the FM broadcast. The launch of the European Electronic Communications Code was made official during the press day of the Brussels Motor Show. EU Member States now have two years to transpose this code into their national legislation.

Policy makers, broadcasters and car makers are gathered at the Brussels Motor Show on Friday 18 January to raise awareness of new EU rules requiring all new car radios to be capable of receiving digital terrestrial radio within two years. The European Electronic Communications Code (EECC) entered into force on 20 December 2018, and EU Member States have two years from this date to transpose the code into national legislation.

Italian public broadcaster RAI continues to expand DAB+ coverage in the country, having just switched on a number of transmitters in the northern part of the country. National coverage has now risen to 49%, and is expected to reach 57% by the end of the year.

According to a recent study commissioned by the EBU, live broadcast radio continues to be by far the most popular source for entertainment and information on the road. According to the study, one third of drivers have adopted digital radio, and with DAB+ digital radio now being included as standard on almost all cars sold in the UK, this shows that awareness of digital radio in cars is rising.

The Belgium service provider Norkring and Paneda have signed an agreement for DAB+ head end systems. Paneda will provide DAB+ multiplexer systems to Belgium during the next 5 years. At the same time Norkring has ordered a complete system for an upcoming multiplexer.

In the last 12 months DAB+ has made significant progress - both in and out of the car. In this article, WorldDAB Automotive Working Group chair Laurence Harrison takes a closer look at some of the highlights of DAB+ development over the past year, and what we can expect to see from in-car infotainment systems in the near future.

With the launch of DAB+ services in Lyon and Strasbourg in December 2018, 21.3% of the French population is now covered by digital radio broadcasts. This figure (over 20%) triggers a law which will require all new radios sold in France to include DAB+. Consumer radios will need to be digital within 12 months; and automotive radios will need to comply within 18 months.

According to the figures released in the latest survey by Nielsen, the positive development in radio listening witnessed at the end of 2018 has continued into the new year, with daily coverage up by 14.2% compared to December 2018.