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The range of DAB+ radio statiosn available in Flanders this week expanded to include VBRO Evergreen a station dedicated to playing oldies music station.

"We're the first country to switch off FM but there are several countries going in the same direction," said Ole Joergen Torvmark, head of Digital Radio Norway, which is owned by national broadcasters NRK and P4 to help the transition.

Norway is entering the history books with a radio-related first: The country is shutting down its FM radio network in favor of digital-only transmissions via DAB+. The switchover plan has been in place for years as digital radio costs Norway the same as the FM network, $29 million, but allows for eight times more radio stations.

Norway will soon become the first country in the world to gradually stop using the FM radio network, with the first area to switch off these frequencies next week. The government says the digital option will bring savings of more than 200 million kroner ($23.5 million) for broadcasters and a clearer sound for the only 5 million people living in a huge country formed by fjords and mountains.

The plan will see certain regions of Norway shut down FM starting next week, while FM service will end in the capital, Oslo, in September. In its place, Norwegians will rely exclusively rely instead on a radio technology known as DAB, or Digital Audio Broadcasting. Developed in Norway, DAB offers very clear sound and allows broadcasters to transmit more stations using fewer airwaves

Norway is set to become the world’s first nation to switch off its FM radio network and switch to digital audio broadcasting (DAB). DAB technology was introduced in Norway in 1995 in parallel to the older frequency modulated radio. Roughly 55 percent of households in the nation now have at least one DAB receiver.

Norway will start switching off its FM radio network next week, in a controversial move that will be closely watched by other nations. Norway's transition to DAB radio will be closely watched by others considering a similar move, including the UK.

This week the Nordland area of Norway will have DAB-only from 11th January, with the remaining five regions' FM transmissions falling silent as 2017 plays out. Norway currently has 25 national radio channels on DAB, with the first one launched in 1995.

WorldDAB has announced a panel of international speakers for the Digital Radio session at the European Radio Show, taking place from 29-31 January in Paris. Titled “A vision for the future of radio: DAB+ in Europe”, the session takes place on Monday 31st from 11:00-13:00 and features broadcasters, regulators and digital radio expects from across Europe.

Norway will next week become the first nation to start switching off its FM radio network, in a risky and unpopular leap to digital technology that will be closely watched by other countries considering whether to follow suit.