Unlimited Audio Without Data Charges on the Internet

Mobile operator first with free audio streaming

T-Mobile's Simple Choice customers are now able to stream all the music they want from all the most popular streaming services, including Pandora, Rhapsody, iHeartRadio, iTunes Radio, Slacker, and Spotify – without ever hitting their high-speed 4G LTE data service. Music services from T-Mobile partners – Samsung's Milk Music and the forthcoming Beatport music app from SFX – will also stream without data charges for T-Mobile customers.

British Analogue Radio for Another 12 Years

New FM licenses good news for small-scale broadcasters

Ofcom is to extend the duration of advertised or re-advertised local commercial analogue radio licenses (AM and FM) from seven to 12 years. The policy changed in 2010 in light of possible announcements on a DAB switchover but in December last year, the Government said that there was still more to do before the transition to digital could be completed.

India Will Have 1.000 New Community Radio Stations

Government aims to license up 1.000 stations on FM in near future

Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar on 19 June promised a stable policy regime with transparency and time-bound mechanism. Efforts would be streamlined so as to make the process of clearances speedy and transparent. He said that there is a need for expanding the reach of Community Radio and that the ministry aims at opening up of 1000 Community Radio Stations in near future. 

Community Radio on DAB+ in Three Major Cities in France

Not joined by public service and major commercial networks

Today 45 community radio stations - radio asociatifs - in Marseille, Nice and Paris in DAB+ multiplexes. The stations are in most cases those extending its coverage into additional areas or stations which previously have not succeeded to get an FM permit.

There is a low key interest with this premiere as Radio France - the public service broadcaster - will not be on DAB+ because the French government says DAB+ will be to costly. Also the major commercial networks - as RTL - are not participating in DAB developments. According to the media authority CSA there are no plans to switch-off FM radio in France.

Expanding Space for Mobile Online Digital Radio

Europe and South Korea together on 5G mobile technology

It has been projected that by 2023 a mobile traffic increase on the order of 1,000 times is expected. To meet that dramatic traffic growth, next-generation mobile networks are also expected to achieve a 1,000-fold capacity increase compared to the current generation of wireless network deployments. This will include expanded space for mobile distribution of audio/video services as digital radio and television.

According to the European Commission the agreement signed in Seoul today is a milestone in the global race to develop 5G mobile technologies. 

Commercial Radio Leaving DAB+ in Poland

Public Radio At Risk Going DAB Alone

The Polish commercial radio community says it will suspend its work with Krajowa Rada Radiofonii i Telewizji (KRRiT), the media authority, on the transition to DAB+. 

KRRiT has received a letter signed by broadcasters from Group RMF, Radio Group Agora, Radio Group Time and Eurozet about the requirements of their engagement in the working group and the technical subcommittee. The signees complained that their opinions have been ignored. 

British motor journalist looks beyond DAB radio

DAB radio: dead on arrival?

Slowly, slowly we're seeing more digital radios in cars. But the glacial pace is allowing smarter alternatives to catch up, writes Nick Gibbs in the motor section of the British newspaper Telegraph. With still no switch-off date for analogue AM/FM radio announced and new technologies closing fast, there’s a serious concern that all the (predominantly taxpayers’) cash still being spent on broadening the network will be for nought.

839 New Commercial FM Stations in India

Third Phase of an auction for commercial radio in June

The government of India has issued a request for proposals from companies that want to participate in the country’s e-auction under Phase-III of the licensing process for commercial FM Radio . The auction is now being held after the new government took office in June and will feature 839 FM channels in 294 cities. 

DAB+ Not the Future for Small-scale Broadcasters

FM still the preferred broadcast platform - with DRM+
as future digital choice, according to European 'green paper'

The retention of FM radio is strongly defended and a transition to the DAB system is rejected for Europe’s approximately 9.000 small-scale broadcasters. A complete stand-alone DAB+ structure cannot survive on a free market without significant public funding (taxes or TV license income) in most European countries. A new report – a green paper – commissioned by the Community Media Forum Europe (CMFE) questions the credibility of DAB system, highlights the preference of DRM+ as a digital choice and with DVB-T2 Lite as a possibility as well as the importance of online listening for future radio.

Would Google become the Global Broadcaster?

Broadband Satellites a Game Changer in the Spectrum Struggle

Google is planning to spend more than $1 billion on satellites that will offer internet access worldwide from space. Google will begin with 180 small satellites that will orbit the Earth at a lower altitude than most other craft. The project could have a great impact on the global struggle for spectrum in the UHF band, which television broadcasters increasingly are losing to mobile broadband operators. Besides expanding space for video distribution online radio might get almost unlimited access via the satellite network.