News

Publicly owned broadcast network operator PE National Broadcasting confirmed on 29 June 2019 that it has commissioned experimental work using DAB+ equipment that has been purchased following a tender process during the first half of 2019.

At the begging of July, DAB+ was officially launched in Nantes and the wider region of Pays de La Loire in western France. Less than a month after the launch, 41 new stations have already gone live on DAB+ in the region, while a number of other cities in France are expected to follow suit and launch DAB+ in coming months.

Digital radio in the car has come a long way over the past year, with a number of exciting developments taking place both internally, within WorldDAB and the WorldDAB Automotive Working Group, as well as on a pan-European level, with the introduction of the EECC Directive. This article recapitulates some of the key highlights, research and developments brought about by the work of WorldDAB and the WorlddDAB Automotive Working Group.

WorldDAB is producing a session at this year's International Broadcasting Convention (IBC). Titled Radio distribution strategies for a connected world, the session will address the opportunities and challenges associated with the migration to broadcast digital radio. The session will take place from 09.00 – 10.30 on Monday 16 September.

The French-speaker regulator in Belgium, CSA, has published the full list of French-speaking DAB+ stations that will be broadcasting in Brussels and the rest of the French-speaking part of Belgium. 17 DAB+ stations are already available to listeners in Wallonia, but almost 100 DAB+ stations are expected to broadcast on DAB+ in coming months.

Commercial radio will officially switch on DAB+ digital radio broadcasts in Canberra on Friday, July 19, providing digital quality sound and more station choice for listeners in the capital. All four commercial radio stations will broadcast in digital, alongside several commercial digital-only stations, with more new stations to launch in coming months.

Norddeutscher Rundfunk, the Hamburg-based public broadcaster, has announced the launch of a new DAB+ transmitter in Röbel. The transmitter will cover the regions of Meyenburg, Goldberg, Moltzow, Kratzeburg and Mirow, east of Hamburg.

A new company has launched to help make small scale DAB radio work for communities around the UK. Opendab will partner with community and commercial radio broadcasters to offer information and knowledge to those applying for an SSDAB licence. The start of the service has been timed to coincide with Parliament getting ready to pass SSDAB legislation ahead of Ofcom advertising licences.

A new DAB+ antenna system has been put in operation at the Scholzplatz transmitter in west Berlin. The new antenna is expected to provide improved reception for DAB+ receivers located within a 50 km radius of the transmission site.

The UK government has published a consultation regarding the implementation of the European Electronic Communications Code, confirming it will implement the Article 113, which requires Member States to mandate the installation of digital radio connectivity in all new car vehicles. In the longer term, the UK government will also consider extending this requirement to commercial vehicles and to mandate for the installation of digital connectivity in all domestic radios.