Population:	20.6 million
Coverage:	60%
Services:	16 DAB, 5 DAB+
Sales (accumulated):	150,000 devices

Last update: 13-08-2010

A year after launching DAB+ services in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, Commercial Radio Australia reported more than half-a-million people  listening to digital radio in an average week and three times the predicted number of digital radio sets in the market at nearly 150,000.  Each market boasts up to 18 new, digital only stations on air. 

The Australian Government passed legislation on 10th May 2007 to enable the launch of digital radio in Australia. The legislation enables incumbent commercial, national and wide-coverage community radio broadcasters to provide digital radio services on DAB+. 

While the Australian radio industry has implemented digital radio using the DAB+ standard, this may be supplemented by the use of DRM in rural and regional areas in the future.  The Australian commercial radio industry has pledged to invest up to $400 million over the coming years to roll out digital radio across the country.  To date, broadcasters have invested more than $50 million dollars on the DAB+ infrastructure and in excess of $24m in on air promotion. Australia is also working with other Asia Pacific countries to encourage the take up of DAB+.

Australia's DAB+ broadcasts currently cover its major state capital cities with all commercial and national public radio stations in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth on air. 

Coverage is currently at 60% of the population, or around 12 million peopel.

A DAB+ trial is underway in Canberra where 10 stations are on air.  A trial in Darwin launched in August 2010.

Planning is based on achieving robust indoor coverage using VHF Band III spectrum.

In this country there are

• Regional multiplexes: 9 Regular and 6 Trial

CRA reports 65 stations broadcasting on DAB+ in Australia, with 16 being exclusive to DAB+.  There are currently 14 regional multiplexes and two trial muxes on air broadcasting nearly 170 services between them, with each multiplex delivering up to 15 services.

Some stations in Australia are using slideshow and EPG, and all deliver dynamic scrolling text. 

A wide range of DAB+ radios is available in Australia.  In 2010 there are approximately 60 models in the market from 20 different manufacturers.  The latest DAB+ radios include a large colour screen, EPG, Slideshow and interactivity via an internet connection.

The first DAB+ trials started in Australia on 1st July 2007. Prior to this, Australian broadcasters had conducted DAB trials in Sydney on L-band since 1998 and on VHF Band III since 2003. A single high-powered Band III transmission, and two L-band cells to the west and north of Sydney, provided around 80% population coverage.

Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney have already launched commercial services.  Trials are currently underway in Canberra and Darwin.

There have, in the past, also been DMB trials in Australia but at the present time there is no clear view on where the mobile TV market will go.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority is the regulatory and licensing authority. There are currently no regulations on coverage requirements, but there is a quota for Australian music and video services are prohibited.

Other key points of the digital radio legislation in Australia are that there is no cost for the spectrum for incumbent commercial broadcasters and no new entrants are allowed for six years from the start date. First right of refusal is given to commercial radio broadcaster consortiums to operate multiplexes. There is an entitlement to a minimum of 128kbit/s (1/9 multiplex) and a maximum of 256kbit/s (1/5 multiplex).