News
Subscribe to the WorldDAB newsletters and get the latest news on industry developments and upcoming events.
Share with us your news, articles and white papers and have them featured on the WorldDAB website.
Sweden's Skärgårdsradion is expanding
24.08.2023 - SwedenSkärgårdsradion (Archipelago Radio) has received one of the seven new national DAB+ licences. This means that the station, which broadcasts on FM and DAB+ in Stockholm, will soon also be heard in Gothenburg, Skåne and Gävle.
"It's kind of fun that perhaps one of Sweden's smallest radio stations is now getting a national licence," says founder and owner Martin Loogna."We believe in DAB radio as every new car and boat now has a receiver and we will try to work on expanding the network together with the other players."
(Radionytt) Read more
Czechia's auction of DAB+ frequencies for commercial networks will take place in four phases
24.08.2023 - CzechiaThe Czech Telecommunications Office plans to divide the upcoming auction of frequencies for private multiplexes into four phases. The regulator announced this in its August Monthly Monitoring Report, published on Tuesday. The first phase will include auction blocks suitable for nationwide networks, the second phase will include auction blocks for networks covering several regions and the third phase will include auction blocks allowing coverage of individual regions only. In the fourth phase, auction blocks not awarded to any of the participants in the previous phases will be offered without any restrictive conditions.
(Český rozhlas) Read more
DAB+ in Germany in the first half of 2023: More use, more variety, more radio
24.08.2023 - GermanyDAB+ radio continued its successful course in the first half of 2023. The use of DAB+ stations is growing, while network expansion continues regionally and nationally. Broadcast launches in Lower Saxony, Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein bring more choice for listeners. According to ma 2023 Audio II, 52 million people use radio services daily (Mon.-Fri.). In the current study published by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Media-Analyse (agma), DAB+ radio is holding its own with some growth: DAB+ is listened to by 28.6 per cent (ma 2023 Audio I: 28.5 per cent) in the "widest listener group" (WHK) segment. According to agma, it is also the services broadcast nationwide via DAB+ that are recording increases in listener numbers. For example, the "Absolute" radio programmes: With a growth rate of 21.4 per cent in listeners in the average hour, the stations are achieving new record values.
(Digitalradio Büro Deutschland) Read more
DAB trial launched in Ghana
24.08.2023 - GhanaThe Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Honourable Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has officially launched the trial phase of the Digital Audio Broadcasting service in Ghana.
With the launch, Ghana becomes the first country in West Africa and the fourth on the continent to deploy the DAB service. The DAB platform in Ghana is being implemented by the National Communications Authority (NCA), and involves 18 stations – 11 based in Accra and 7 in Kumasi. With the commencement of the trial, listeners in the two cities will be able to access any of the stations using DAB+ receivers. The initial trial is expected to last six months after which the NCA will review and decide the next phase of its deployment.
(National Communications Authority (NCA) ) Read more
DAB+ licences for Sweden's DB Media, Mad Men Media and Skärgårdsradion
24.08.2023 - SwedenThe Swedish Press, Radio and TV Authority has announced seven new national and one regional licence for digital commercial radio. The licences include Arabic radio and sports radio.
Malmö-based Mad Men Media has been granted five national licences. DB Media in Staffanstorp receives a national licence for the new channel Dansbandskanalen Klassiker. DB Media also receives a regional licence in Skåne for Guldkanalen Country. Skärgårdsradion, which already has a regional licence in Stockholm, can now broadcast nationally.
The licences are valid from 1 September to 31 July 2026. 21 national licences and three regional licences have already been awarded in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Skåne.
(Radionytt) Read more
Sweden's MPRT approves licences for new digital radio channels
24.08.2023 - SwedenSwedish media regulator MPRT has announced further licences to broadcast in the digital terrestrial network. The broadcasts will include a mix of music, news and weather, as well as sports and community programmes. The licences are valid from 1 September 2023 to 31 July 2026. In addition to the commercial radio channels, Sveriges Radio and Utbildningsradion also broadcast on the digital terrestrial network. These channels receive their licences from the Government.
(Myndigheten för press, radio och tv (MPRT)) Read more
Asaase Radio and 17 others begin digital audio trial in Ghana
24.08.2023 - GhanaAt least 18 radio stations including Asaase 99.5 Accra are part of the trial of the newly launched Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) service in Ghana.
Communication and Digitalisation Minister Ursula Owusu-Ekuful on Tuesday officially launched the six-month pilot project, describing it as the first ever in West Africa and the fourth on the continent to deploy the DAB service.
Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Wednesday, Bernie O’Neill, project director World DAB said: “It’s an opportunity for broadcasters to collaborate and make the most of this opportunity to keep this vibrant radio industry that you have here strong for a digital future.”
(Asaase Radio) Read more
DAB trial underway in Ghana
23.08.2023 - GhanaAn announcement by Ghana’s Minister for Communications and Digitisation, Honourable Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has revealed Ghana as the first country in West Africa to deploy a DAB service.
Implemented by the National Communications Authority (NCA), the trial phase involves 18 stations, with 11 based in Accra and seven in Kumasi. The platform enables listeners in both cities to access any of the stations using DAB+ receivers.
(RedTech) Read more
NCA launches West Africa’s first digital audio broadcasting
23.08.2023 - GhanaThe National Communications Authority (NCA) has officially launched the trial phase of digital audio broadcasting (DAB) in the country. DAB represents a state-of-the-art radio broadcasting system that revolutionises how audio content is transmitted through the airwaves. Distinguishing itself from traditional FM radio, DAB relies on digital signals rather than analogue ones. This shift results in remarkable enhancements in reception quality and a significant reduction in signal interference.
(Business & Financial Times) Read more
NCA unveils Digital Audio Broadcasting for radio stations
23.08.2023 - GhanaThe National Communications Authority (NCA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation, yesterday launched the trial of the latest version of Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) in Accra and Kumasi. The Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, speaking at the event, said that this would place Ghana at the forefront of innovation and position the country as the first nation in West Africa and the fourth on the entire continent to deploy DAB+.
(Daily Statesman) Read more