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DAB+ broadcasting will be available in and around the Lyon area as of December 5th, 2018, giving listeners more choice and a better listening experience. Once population coverage in across the country reaches 20%, France will trigger a law requiring manufacturers to include a DAB+ chip in their equipment.

Having recently launched in Lyon, Lille and Strasbourg, as well as Nice, Marseille and Paris in 2015, 20% population coverage is expected to be achieved in France by the end of 2018, at which point a law requiring all receivers to be equipped with DAB+ will be triggered.

The directive will, amongst other things, require all new car radios sold in the EU to include digital terrestrial radio. The legal act is set to be signed on 12 December and published in the EU Official Journal on 17 December. It will enter into force 3 days after publication.

WorldDAB, the principal sponsor of the event, will update delegates on the latest DAB+ developments in the Asia Pacific region and around the world, including market updates, in-car digital radio progress, and information on how broadcasters are employing broadcast and IP. The theme of the 2019 DBS conference is “Digital Transition and Transformation”.

This Christmas campaign, which features Santa Claus, has been launched off the back of research which found 21% of radio listeners surveyed in Australia would buy a new digital radio in the next 12 months.

Since the start of October, eleven new radio programs have appeared on DAB+ in Neuchâtel. DAB + is gradually replacing the FM, which is expected to disappear in Switzerland by 2024 at the latest.

WorldDAB will take the opportunity to update delegates on the latest developments on DAB+ in the Asia Pacific region and around the world, including market updates, in-car digital radio progress, as well as the latest information on how broadcasters are employing broadcast and IP. WorldDAB will hold a DAB+ digital radio workshop on March 4, featuring presentations and discussions from industry experts DAB+ developments.

Driven by an industry trend toward digital radio, the European Parliament last month voted to adopt the new European Electronic Communications Code, which will require all new car radios sold in the EU to be capable of receiving digital terrestrial radio – in addition to any FM or AM functionality. We take a look at where EU member countries stand with regards to this new directive.

The rollout of DAB+ continues to gain ground across Europe, and the introduction of the new EU directive comes as no surprise to the majority of EU member states including Italy, which has been one step ahead of the curve – and its European counterparts – having previously introduced its own regulations to reflect the growing need for DAB+ in cars. Read about Italy’s seamless transition to DAB+ in the car.

The project, entitled "Digital Radio in Schools", has been launched in support of media literacy in the Czech Republic. Through lectures, presentations and listening experiences, RTI cz s.r.o aims to bring digital radio closer to future generations in technical vocational, technical secondary schools and technical universities.