The Radio and Television Distribution Inquiry proposes to the government mandatory access to listening to analogue FM radio should be available in all new passenger vehicles on the market from 2027. Since 2021, there is an EU regulation on the reception of digital terrestrial radio in new cars that have a car radio installed. But this does not go far enough according to the inquiry. It is difficult to more closely assess the extent of listening to DAB+ compared to FM. However, some growth in listening to DAB+ is discernible according to public broadcaster Sveriges Radio. The average daily reach in 2013-2018 was zero percent of the population aged 12–79. In 2019, it rose to 0.1 percent to reach 1.3 percent in 2023.- Sweden now follows Finland, which already in 2020 introduced a law on FM in cars. There is no DAB broadcasting in Finland.
DAB has not reached – or is expected to reach – the same area coverage in Sweden as the analog FM network in the near future, the investigation writes. Analogue FM broadcasts are the most important form of distribution for both commercial radio and SR and local radio. The analog FM network ensures the delivery of radio content in the car even in places in Sweden where DAB is not developed or where the user's mobile operator does not have good coverage for receiving radio over the internet.
The demand for analog FM radio in the car is still large, significantly greater than for digital radio broadcasts in the terrestrial network. The analog terrestrial network also has much better population and area coverage than the digital one. Furthermore, the FM network can ensure the delivery of radio content via car radio receivers even in situations of, for example, long-term power outages or in places in Sweden where the user's mobile operator has a poor internet connection, the investigation states.
Given the limited coverage that digital terrestrial radio has today and the fact that there are currently no indications that the digital network will have coverage that corresponds to the coverage of the FM network within the next few years, there are reasons to continue to take advantage of the advantages of the analog network. In this way, the possibility of continued access to radio reception on most road sections in Sweden increases and that the population can be reached by important information in crisis and war situations. This is an important measure for Sweden's preparedness and security, the investigation states.
The investigation proposes that Chapter 2. Section 3 a of the Vehicle Ordinance (2009:211) shall be supplemented so that a requirement is placed that a car radio receiver built into a new passenger car or a new bus shall also be able to receive and reproduce radio services provided via analogue terrestrial radio transmission, i.e. FM.
Download Iquiry Report:
Distribution av radio och tv i det nya medielandskapet (SOU 2025:116) (in Swedish)
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