FM and DAB Should Operate Side by Side

UK commercial radio debating the future of radio

At the Westminster Forum on the future of the UK radio industry DAB lobby organisation Digital Radio UK’s Ford Ennals said that radio should be united for a digital future, with more choice and national and local coverage buildout. The future for radio is digital but it is also collaborative. Big and small, local and national working together to ensure radio does remain competitive and relevant in a multiplatform digital age.

However, Phil Riley, the founder of UK commercial radio group Orion Media, said a radical new approach should be adopted embracing a “multi-platform world”, in which FM/AM and DAB operate side by side for at least the next decade. Phil calls on the Government to delay the “Flawed” switchover policy.

Kiss FM leaves the nationwide DAB + multiplex in Germany

Private radio cannot go DAB without official funding 

The nation-wide distribution of the Berlin private radio stations Kiss FM on the national DAB+ network is terminated prematurely on March 31 2014. Kiss FM will continue broadcasting on VHF (FM), cable and on the Internet and mobile applications the company FOM GmbH & Co. KG announced.

EBU Shocked By Swedish UHF Band Decision

The EBU today expressed serious concern at a Swedish government decision to reallocate the 700 MHz spectrum band to "other forms of use" from 2017, since such a fast switchover will jeopardize the integrity of television services in Sweden. Television will now have to partly return to the VHF Band III, which is also utilized by DAB radio. 

Swedish Television To Leave Upper UHF Band

Mobile Broadband taking over. DAB Radio to share the 200 MHz band with terrestrial digital television.

The Swedish government today decided that the UHF frequency band 694-790 MHz should be assigned solely to mobile communications from 2017.
Broadcasters now have three years to migrate from this space to 470-694 MHz and also coming back to the VHF band III 174-240 MHz.

DRM+ In New Multi-standard Receiver Chip

Advanced Digital Radio Receiver Chip For A Global Market

The israeli company Siano, today announced the launch of SMS2160, a new multi-standard digital radio receiver chip designed for automotive and portable/mobile consumer electronics applications. SMS2160 is the world’s most versatile digital radio IC to support T-DMB/DAB/DAB+, DRM+ and FM Radio, including RDS/TMC. 

First Broadcast in Sweden with New Digital Radio Technology

DRM+ Enables Digitalization in the FM Band

Today the first transmissions with the new digital radio system DRM+ went on-air in the Stockholm region. The test trial is run with a DRM+ transmitter on the 97.0 MHz FM band with a power of 500 Watts. The first six months test trials are made in consultation with the Post- and Telecom Authority in Sweden (PTS).

Most British Radio Listening Still Analogue

Young people are listening on smartphones. DAB is left behind.
Weekly listening figures for the fourth quarter of 2013 has now been presented by Rajar. Still listening on analogue platforms (AM and FM) dominates in spite of DAB being established in the UK already 1995. AM/FM has a weekly listening of 58,5 percent (down 4,1 percent points from 2012). DAB 23,4 (+2,3), digital terrestrial tv platforms 5,2 (+0,1) and online 5,8 (+0,9).  The 2013 uptake increase of DAB is less than anticipated the year before; DAB +9,8 and Internet +15,6 %. This signals a DAB stagnation.

Now FM in BlackBerry Phones

BlackBerry users who download the latest 10.2.1software update will unlock FM capabilities in certain models. The handset maker says the update “unlocks the built­in FM radio” for the Z30, Q10 and Q5 BlackBerry models. The update is available now to customers in U.S., Europe, Canada, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America, and will be available for the entire line of smartphones running BlackBerry 10. 

Terrestrial Television Giving Up Space For Mobile Broadband

Proposal to move television to 200 MHz  - the DAB radio band 

The 700 MHz frequency band has already been earmarked for mobile broadband by the 2012 ITU World Radio communication Conference (WRC-12) and this has also been confirmed by the EU European Council and in the European Parliament. However, the Media Authority in Sweden has recommended that the complete UHF band (470-790 MHz) should be utilized for terrestrial television broadcasts (DTT) until 2020. This has met loud resistance.

Lobbying Might Be Suicidal for DAB

WorldDMB activities may indicate a losing battle

Since the first launch of the DAB system 1995 there has been an intense lobbying effort by large scale broadcasting operators mostly public service companies, transmission companies and electronic manufacturers. For some public service companies being involved with the lobby organization WorldDMB this is a growing credibility burden. In this article the reader will learn about activities, which may surprise many. 

Mobile Data Use Starts Skyrocketing with 4G/LTE

In South Korea, one out of every two mobile subscribers now has a 4G/LTE device, according to new data from GSMA Intelligence. But what’s even more interesting is the difference in how 3G and 4G subscribers used their connections in that country. Since SK Telecom launched its first LTE network back in the second half of 2011, data usage on 4G phones has more than doubled, while data consumption on 3G devices has remained flat.

Famed Jazz Radio Leaving DAB Network

The only jazz channel on DAB in the U.K. has left the national network Digital One. The station has moved to Switch Digital in Greater London in addition to online platforms. Jazz FM CEO Richard Wheatly said the station could potentially lose 150,000 from its record 700,000 listener base. Most of our audience listen to us on digital radio in Greater London – 400,000 people – and around 30% are listening on platforms other than DAB across the UK.