News

The Acting Director of Engineering at the National Communications Authority (NCA), Rev. Edmund Fianko is billed to speak at the WorldDAB Conference as part of the ongoing International Broadcasting Convention (IBC2023) in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The selection of Ghana’s representative as a speaker for this year’s WorldDAB conference is a testament to Ghana’s achievement as the first country in West Africa and fourth on the continent to have started DAB (digital audio broadcasting) technology, and on the back of a more advanced version, DAB+.

The Tarbijakaitse ja Tehnilise Järelevalve Amet (TTJA) / Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority in Estonia has sent out an invitation to market players and stakeholders to participate in a public consultation to identify their interests and expectations regarding the introduction of digital radio and to plan the use of the 174-230 MHz band. "Through this public consultation, we want to identify the interests and expectations of all stakeholders in the field of digital radio," said Erko Kulu, Head of the Frequency Management Unit of the TTJA. DAB+ digital radio is currently in a trial phase in Estonia, allowing market players and listeners to try out the new technology. The test period will last until the end of 2023.

The first half of 2023 has put digital radio in the spotlight in Austria. More than one million Austrians listen to the radio via DAB+ several times a month, according to the latest Radiotest. In order to promote the reception and awareness of DAB+, an increase in the Digitisation Fund is crucial. Roman Gerner, Chairman of the Digital Radio Austria Association, emphasises the importance of financing through the Digitisation Fund for successful network expansion: "The imminent implementation of the new DAB multiplex in 2024 requires an urgent review and adjustment of the Digitisation Fund in order to adequately support media and programme diversity. An increase to 2.5 million euros is not only necessary but also imperative."

From 13 September, DAB+ listeners in the Albstadt region of Baden-Württemberg can enjoy 16 additional commercial radio programmes in digital quality. With the expansion of the Raichberg transmitter site, Antenne Deutschland, the operator of the second national DAB+ platform, is expanding its network to 82 sites throughout Germany. The digital radio stations will be receivable via channel 8C.

Warning the population in the event of a disaster is a top priority - on tomorrow's nationwide warning day, warning systems will therefore be tested again. Radio and television play an important role in this. Bavaria is using the day as an opportunity to test alarm innovations via the terrestrial digital radio DAB+: for example, in addition to the alarm function of radio devices in standby, the control of a siren via the radio signal will also be tested this year. Dr. Thorsten Schmiege, President of the Bavarian Regulatory Authority for Commercial Broadcasting (BLM): "The terrestrial digital radio DAB+ with its robust infrastructure offers innovative possibilities for warning, for which neither internet access nor mobile phone coverage is necessary."

Deutschlandradio is participating in the third nationwide "Warning Day" with the programmes Deutschlandfunk, Deutschlandfunk Kultur and Deutschlandfunk Nova. All over Germany, sirens will be wailing at around 11 a.m., loudspeaker trucks will be driving through the streets, apps will sound the alarm, and public billboards will provide information. Public and private television and radio stations will also participate in the campaign, which is intended to test the "warning system" nationwide. For DAB+ receivers, a "flag" will be sent, which will allow radios equipped for the warning to switch on automatically or to switch to the Deutschlandradio frequency.

Marek Ebert, Chairman of the ČTÚ Council, describes what the upcoming auction of frequencies for commercial multiplexes will look like. He also touches on the possible further development of the radio market, including the possible reduction of analogue FM radio. "We have been pleasantly surprised by the interest of the operators because the nine candidates, and as you said yourself, six, who have put down the amount of the guarantee that allows them to enter the first phase is, from my point of view, a success."

SRG SSR in Switzerland launched its first DAB multiplexing platform in 2005. Today the SRG SSR DAB multiplexing platform runs in the four language regions with 18 services in each region. It is now time to re-engineer the platform. In stiff competition with high technical demands, SWISS TXT, a subsidiary of SRG SSR, selected Paneda. Paneda will provide a complete DAB platform containing 4 multiplexers including audio encoding, realised with the latest software based containerised technology. The order also covers monitoring components for ETI and EDI signals. All systems are provided with full redundancy and in addition also a full test platform.

This year's nationwide warning day, which serves to test the different warning systems, will take place on 14 September 2023. On this day, starting at 11:00, a test warning in the form of a warning text will be sent to all warning multipliers (e.g. radio stations and app servers) connected to the federal government's Modular Warning System (MoWaS for short).At 11:15, a warning will be broadcast via the 10D test network of Bayern Digital Radio (BDR).

With IBC2023 opening on Friday, here's another of our interviews with WorldDAB members heading to Amsterdam. This time, Jens Schroeder, Managing Director of RFmondial GmbH in Hannover, Germany explains how their product RF-DAB has already enabled many broadcasters to analyse and solve problems in their distribution network.