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LG seems confident that mixing a mobile phone and a digital radio receiver will create hype among its fans. Digital radio holsters many specialist stations and listening to it will leave your data plan intact.

EBU Head of Radio Graham Dixon said: “The EBU has campaigned for many years to include DAB capability in smartphones...DAB+ lets users listen to the radio for free and in excellent audio quality – this breakthrough will allow broadcasters to reach even more people with their content."

The LG Stylus 2 was unveiled today at Radiodays Europe 2016 in Paris. Consumers in Australia, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom will be the first to receive the LG Stylus 2 with DAB+.

Video interview with Michael Hill, Managing Director of Radioplayer discussing the benefits of a hybrid approach to putting digital radio into smartphones.

Developed for the world’s first mass-market smartphone with a DAB digital radio, the hybrid Radioplayer app will be automatically installed in LG Stylus 2 smartphones sold in the UK and Norway. Radioplayer developed the technology in collaboration with the International DMB Group (IDAG) and All in Media.

According to the manufacturer, the LG Stylus 2 will first be available in Australia, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK. The battery life is said to be greater on phones using DAB+ reception.

The LG Stylus 2 has a DAB+ chipset and comes with a new version of the Radioplayer app that allows it to support DAB radio broadcasts, and DAB+ where it is available. This means digital radio on the move from your phone, without requiring a network connection.

Managing Director of Radioplayer Michael Hill said “Across the industry we’ve been experimenting with hybrid radio for several years now, so it’s great to see a mass-market smartphone that’s capable of powering it. I’m particularly proud that we’ve delivered the world’s first hybrid Radioplayer app and I’m looking forward to sharing what we’ve learned, so other apps and smartphones can adopt this capability”

When Radioplayer is installed onto an LG Stylus 2, it automatically switches between DAB/DAB+ and streaming, depending on the quality of the signal. The hybrid Radioplayer app will be pre loaded onto all LG Stylus 2 devices sold in the UK on the O2 network.

The new handset features the world’s first built-in DAB+ broadcast digital radio, rewatch the launch of the device at Radiodays Europe 2016, in Paris.