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Germany will hold a nationwide warning day on 8 December 2022. The aim is to alert the population to warnings in crisis situations. On the federal government's joint action day with the federal states and municipalities, the warning methods of the "Modular Warning System" (MoWaS) are to be used at 11am. These include public and private radio stations, and also SMS and apps. DAB+ has been a successful part of the MoWaS since 2020. DAB+ transmitters have a high level of operational reliability. Due to their mostly higher transmitter locations, they had proven to be more robust than mobile radio networks, for example during the floods in North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and near Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

"DAB+ offers lower distribution costs than FM, uses less energy to broadcast and is more resilient for broadcasting alerts, especially outdoors," said Patrick Hannon. "It is essential to protect the key benefits of broadcasting - it is free, universal and reliable in an emergency. DAB+ is the guarantor of the sustainability of these attributes," he added.

Three E’s — economics, environment and emergencies — will drive the case for DAB+ adoption, said WorldDAB President, Patrick Hannon, opening the organisation’s annual Summit in London on Thursday. “DAB+ offers lower costs of distribution than FM, coupled with lower energy requirements, and greater resilience in emergencies, especially out of home,” said Hannon. “It’s essential to protect the core benefits of broadcast radio - it’s free to air, universal and reliable in emergencies. DAB+ is key to securing this,” he added.

This year, Medientage München returns to the big stage at the ICM. From 18 - 20 October, visitors can expect a three-day conference programme with current and relevant topics on five stages with more than 400 speakers, a varied expo, numerous networking opportunities and entertaining entertainment formats. Bayern Digital Radio will be on site as an exhibitor and will present the test network 10D with the topics SPI (Service and Programme Information), EWF (Emergency Warning Functionality) and TPEG-EAW (Transport Protocol Experts Group-Emergency Alerts and Warnings).

As part of the development of solutions for alternative programme feeds to DAB+ transmitters in the event of a disaster, RFmondial successfully carried out a field test in Hanover under real conditions. This was announced by the service provider for digital broadcasting based in Hanover on September 1st In the event of a failure of programme feeds (modulation lines) to digital radio transmitters (DAB+), a stable broadcasting supply for the population must be guaranteed. To do this, the company has developed a system that uses the air interface for program delivery, so-called rebroadcasting.

DAB+, today's digital radio standard, offers more than clear sound and the transmission of music and voice. DAB+ is also capable of broadcasting alarm and warning messages. DAB+ could save lives and protect the population in crisis situations as soon as this warning service is implemented. The members of the association Digitalradio Deutschland have now voted with a large majority in favor of adding this additional service to the internationally standardised DAB+ system. Against the current background of natural disasters, such as in the Ahr Valley and parts of Upper Bavaria in 2021 and the tense international situation (e.g. war in Ukraine), the members of Digitalradio Deutschland eV are committed to the international standardisation of warning messages. Together with the broadcasters, media institutions and network operators, the manufacturers in the association are working intensively on the development of a public warning system via DAB+ radio.

The newly opened Rosenstein Tunnel in Stuttgart, Germany brings 35 programmes to listeners. Safety was a major consideration in the design of the tunnel - in the event of an incident affecting traffic inside the tunnel, drivers will receive emergency tunnel announcements via DAB+.

With the activation of a new test network in channel 10D at the beginning of May 2022, there is now sufficient capacity available in Bavaria to develop new innovations relating to DAB+ and test them in live operation. Comprehensive testing of the disaster warning service EWF (Emergency Warning Functionality) is planned. The EWF system, which the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (IIS) in Erlangen played a key role in developing, will in future, in close cooperation with Bayern Digital Radio GmbH and other partners, provide a targeted and comprehensive warning to the population in the event of a disaster via DAB+ for digital radios and public display boards in Germany enable Bavaria. Another topic is the testing of data services in the area of ​​TPEG Emergency Alerts and Warnings (EAW). This application provides disaster alerts to travelers with minimal distraction from traffic on navigation devices.

The possibility of transmitting an emergency message in the event of sudden events or disasters via a network of transmitters operating on DAB+ platform is nothing new and has been successfully tested several times. EWF - Emergency Warning Functionality - does not need to be connected to the internet and is activated in a matter of seconds. The technology uses the DAB+ digital terrestrial broadcasting standard for its transmission. (Image: Profimedia)

DAB+ stations whose programme feed is interrupted due to interference receive the programme terrestrially from another DAB+ station, convert it to a different frequency (channel) and broadcast it again with a short time delay. The programme that has been distributed in this way can now be received by other DAB+ stations and broadcast on a different frequency. In this way, comprehensive broadcasting coverage can be achieved even in the event of a disaster. Manufacturers of receivers and receiver chips, as well as the automotive industry, are invited to test their receivers with regard to re-broadcasting.