The beginning of a new year is a good time to look at what’s in store for DAB over the coming months.

The downturn in the economy has unsurprisingly put the brakes on investment in DAB across Europe. However it has not prevented many countries from considering how they will implement digital broadcasting as the economy picks up again.

Ireland
The BAI are due to publish a white paper on how digital broadcasting will progress in Ireland. It’s widely expected they will establish DAB in line with new FM licences due for renewal beginning in 2011.

Meanwhile our company Digital Radio Ltd intend to carry out a new digital radio trial which will test DAB+, Slideshow and signal tests involving new aerial array systems and increased power.

Germany
DAB is more than a new platform in Germany as it will also allow commercial broadcasters to operate nationally for the very first time.

Currently the media authorities in each local state are calling for applications from those who want to provide such a service on DAB. If sufficient qualified commercial applicants come forward they plan to re-launch DAB in early 2011. Two-thirds of the German national multiplex has been allocated to commercial radio with the remainder being taken by the state broadcaster Deutschland Radio.

France
Another interesting case in that the French were adopting a flavour of digital broadcasting known as DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting).

Based on the same standard as DAB (Eureka 147) the French were focusing on the multimedia aspects of digital broadcasting. Such was their enthusiasm that, despite they’re being one of the only countries to adopt the format, DMB was included in the most basic Digital Radio Receiver Profile. This means any radio bought in France will work anywhere in Europe with stations using DAB and vice versa.

However, with the economic downturn, the French are now considering dropping DMB to go with the more common DAB/DAB+ standard.

Despite the French media regulator, CSA, receiving over 300 applications for new digital radio services it’s unlikely they will roll-out until year-end 2010. Michel Boyon, president of the CSA has said “if radio does not go digital, It will slowly decline. Internet radio is very good but it is totally inadequate to meet the demands of listeners.”

Norway
National radio broadcaster NRK needs to completely upgrade it’s FM transmission network in the near future or replace it with digital broadcasting.

Their preference is for the latter and they are strongly campaigning to government to drop FM altogether in favour of digital. In the meantime two national DAB multiplexes are in operation in Norway covering 80% of the population.

United Kingdom
The UK continue to work toward achieving the criteria for analogue switch-off which will see all their national and local radio stations (commercial and BBC) more entirely to DAB. The target date is somewhere between 2015 and 2020.

As always we’ll keep you posted with developments throughout the year and invite you to subscribe to our RSS and Twitter feeds so you can keep up-to-date.

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