News

DAB+ digital terrestrial radio continues to roll out across France. The number of radio stations available on DAB+ recently doubled in Angers, Limoges and Rennes. With its arrival in towns such as Bayonne, Besançon, Brest, Clermont-Ferrand, Metz, Nancy and Pau, this summer DAB+ passed the symbolic milestone of covering 50% of the French population. A trial has also been underway in Martinique since January. With the continued roll-out of national antennas between October 2023 and March 2024, more than 60% of the population will be covered by DAB+ by early 2024. A national communications campaign will be launched shortly to raise awareness of the benefits of digital radio among the general public.

Two companies who had their small-scale DAB licences revoked have been awarded the licences for a second time.The licences cover the Isles of Scilly, Merthyr & Rhondda Cynon Taf in Wales, and Alnwick & Morpeth. The three awards are the first in Round 5 of the small-scale DAB licensing process, with another 26 awards to be made in the coming months.

In a joint press release on 20 September, Belgian German language public radio station BRF and commercial stations 100.5 Das HitRadio, Radio Contact Ostbelgien Now, Radio Sunshine and Radio 700 announced they will broadcast on DAB+ from 1 October. Management representatives of the five broadcasters gathered in the BRF headquarters in Eupen, where they signed a collaboration agreement in the presence of Media Minister Isabelle Weykmans. Under the banner “DAB+ in Ostbelgien,” public broadcaster BRF will manage the multiplex on which the five stations will broadcast using the 8A Block (195.936 Mhz). The first transmitter is operational at the Petergensfeld/Raeren site. Early next year, a second transmitter in Wallerode/Amel will cover the southern part of the German community.

DAB+ adoption in Indonesia has been confirmed with the publication of the "Regulation of the Minister of Communication and Informatics No. 5 of 2023 on Master Plan and Operational Technical Provisions for the Use of Radio Frequency Spectrum for the Purpose of Radio Broadcasting Services Through Terrestrial Media". The document sets out that "VHF Band III in the 202-230 MHz radio frequency range uses digital technology standards based on Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB+)," and this will be used for the public broadcaster Radio Republik Indonesia.

The Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces has announced available licences for DAB+ in the country's third digital broadcasting network and all licences in a brand new fourth network. The licences are available in 13 regions and each region can accommodate up to 32 licences. If there are more applications than licences, the Radio and Television Board evaluates the applications in a kind of "beauty contest" based on economic conditions and experience in radio or media activities. The announcement is made because there is free capacity on the third DAB+ network and new broadcasting opportunities have been requested by the radio industry, resulting in the opening of a fourth network.

DAB+ digital radio is being launched in East Belgium. From 1 October, in addition to the programmes of BRF1 and BRF2, four other radio stations will be heard via DAB+. These are the four private radio stations 100,5 Das Hitradio, Radio Contact Ostbelgien Now, Radio Sunshine and Radio 700. The managers of the transmitters signed a cooperation agreement on 20 September. The first transmitter in Petergensfeld (Raeren) is already in operation. A second transmitter is expected to be added next spring at the Wallerode site (Amel) to cover the south of the DG (German-speaking community).

At the BRF broadcasting centre in Eupen, the managers of the five stations signed a cooperation agreement today in the presence of Media Minister Isabelle Weykmans. From 1 October 2023, the programmes of BRF1, BRF2, 100,5 DAS HITRADIO., Radio Contact Ostbelgien NOW, Radio Sunshine and Radio 700 can be received on digital radio DAB+. For this purpose, the Belgian Broadcasting Corporation has put a first DAB+ transmitter into operation in the north of the German-speaking Community of Belgium. Digital radio in East Belgium can be received on block 8A.

Denmark's Radio and Television Board has invited tenders for programme activities in the 13 areas in DAB block 3 and DAB block 4. In accordance with the contract conditions, up to 32 licences can be issued in each area. If there are more qualified bidders than available licences in a region, the Radio and Television Board will carry out an assessment of the bidders based on their attractiveness. The deadline for submitted bids is Monday 16 October 2023. The licences will come into effect on Monday 1 July 2024 and will apply until 30 June 2032.

"Arcom is returning to work on a number of major projects that demonstrate the dynamism of our audiovisual and digital landscape," says Arcom's chairman. One of these 'major projects' is DAB+, which is keeping the regional delegations busy. "As far as radio is concerned, the rollout of DAB+ has passed the symbolic 50% mark in terms of national coverage and is continuing. Arcom is also continuing its analysis work for its white paper on the future of radio, which will be published in 2024. The central issue of services of general interest will also keep us busy this autumn," stressed Roch-Olivier Maistre. 17 multiplexes, both extended and local, began broadcasting during the summer of 2023.

K-Net, a leading innovator in cutting-edge technology solutions, is proud to announce a significant milestone in its journey of technological excellence. The recently installed DAB radio system, meticulously executed under K-Net's operational excellence, showcases the company's dedication to enhancing the broadcasting experience for its valued customers. Paneda has provided a complete virtual server-based platform and consists of a complete multiplexer platform in full redundancy, handling 20 audio services and meta data. The platform is expandable without further hardware investments. 2wcom Systems GmbH has provided a complete audio over IP contribution system, from studio encoders to the centralised multiplexer platform as well as satellite distribution to the DAB transmitters around the country.