SSDAB solution not a comprehensive substitute for analogue provision.
There are 332 community radio stations in the UK mostly broadcasting on analogue FM. The are licenses for local digital services on DAB mostly for simulcasting FM-DAB but some also DAB-only. The think tank Decentered Media has published a new briefing paper examining the outcomes of the Small-Scale DAB (SSDAB) program and its implications for local and independent radio services across the UK. This paper provides an evidence-led assessment of the outcomes of the SSDAB program, drawing on an independently compiled and verified dataset of analogue and digital radio services.
The paper reviews regulatory data, market conditions, and operational evidence from community and small independent broadcasters. It finds that while Small-Scale DAB has increased digital capacity in some areas, a significant number of services are unable to participate on sustainable terms due to transmission costs, multiplex governance arrangements, coverage requirements, and ongoing liabilities. Read more here:
The briefing identifies a growing divergence between services that can absorb digital transmission costs and those that remain viable only through analogue AM or FM provision. It concludes that current policy assumptions risk disadvantaging smaller, place-based services where digital carriage is not proportionate to audience reach or public purpose.
Rather than opposing digital development, the paper argues for a mixed economy approach to transmission policy. It suggests that, where spectrum remains available, analogue licensing should continue to be considered a legitimate and proportionate option alongside digital platforms.
Commenting on the publication, author Dr Rob Watson said: “This briefing is not an argument against digital radio, but an attempt to document what the Small-Scale DAB program has actually delivered in practice. The evidence shows that some services are structurally excluded by current cost and governance models. If policy objectives include diversity, resilience, and local accountability, then those outcomes need to be reflected in how transmission options are regulated.”
The document is published as a discussion paper for policymakers, regulators, and sector stakeholders. It is intended to inform anticipated reviews of digital radio policy, transmission regulation, and the long-term sustainability of local broadcasting. Decentered Media is an independent think tank focused on media, communication, and civic infrastructure.
Download the full briefing paper
Small-Scale DAB, Analogue Resilience, and the ‘Left Behind’ Cohort in UK Radio
Discussion and Policy Briefing Version 001: 19th January 2026
The UK has a formal SSDAB scheme where the regulator (Ofcom) issues specific small-scale multiplex licenses for local DAB distribution, including for community radio. Some other countries tend to manage local/regional DAB+ capacity within the wider DAB framework rather than a unique “SSDAB scheme”. The technical principles can be very similar but they are often named and regulated differently.
Globally terrestrial digital radio is rarely used by community radio broadcasters. But exceptions are in countries with considerable state aid for community broadcasting as France and Switzerland. Community radio, which is mostly run by volunteers and non-professionals on a non-profit basis, cannot afford the much higher costs for a transition from FM to DAB+. Also there is a considerable risk of losing listeners as long as DAB+ is not a major platform for radio as FM and online. In some countries radio organisations also have warned for an end of community radio if there is not continued access to FM radio.
A statement to the European Commission is issued by the two Pan-European community radio organizations CMFE and AMARC Europe against an FM switch-off. For a future community radio transition DRM+ is the preferred digital alternative to DAB+. Read more here
Some technical aspects of SSDAB in the United Kingdom
175 community stations remain FM-only, with no carriage on SSDAB, local DAB, or national DAB platforms .
118 FM stations are simulcasting on SSDAB, both FM and SSDAB, the vast majority of which are community radio services.
39 Community stations broadcasting on SSDAB only.
The dataset demonstrates that SSDAB is not equivalent to FM coverage in either intent or outcome. Only 30% of SSDAB services are FM simulcasts, meaning SSDAB has not functioned as a general FM migration platform.
Most FM simulcasts operate on one SSDAB multiplex only, indicating limited geographic extension rather than FM-equivalent replacement.
175 community FM stations remain entirely without any DAB presence, despite SSDAB being explicitly promoted as a solution for “around 400” analogue stations. SSDAB coverage is multiplex-defined and population-weighted, whereas FM community licences are geographically defined and optimized for consistent local reception. As a result, SSDAB functions as a supplementary or partial digital layer, not a substitute for FM reach, particularly for small, rural, or tightly bounded community service areas .
There are sound quality limitations on SSDAB. Small-scale DAB multiplexes overwhelmingly use DAB+ (HE-AAC v2) to maximize service capacity. Typical operational bitrates for SSDAB community services are 32–64 kbps. Speech services are generally acceptable. Music services exhibit reduced fidelity, compression artefacts, and limited dynamic range compared with FM.
FM, as an analogue system, does not have a fixed bitrate and typically delivers greater perceived audio robustness, particularly for music-led community stations.
The dataset explicitly notes that capacity constraints on SSDAB multiplexes structurally limit audio quality, and that higher bitrates approaching FM-equivalent quality are rarely feasible without reducing the number of carried services.
Will SSDAB be tried in other countries?
DAB was introduced already 1995 and is now a major platform for terrestrial broadcasting along with FM. However, the global take-up of the system is slow. Outside the UK the system is established as a platform of importance only in a few countries as Norway and Switzerland.
The British experience with SSDAB indicates that still there are not any advantages for community radio to leave FM as a major platform. A future digital transition might rather be on more modern digital platforms as DRM or 5G Broadcast.
Also read
49 Shades of Grey - Why DAB Will Not Survive as Platform for Future Radio