Population:	1.3 billion
Coverage:	8%

Last update: 18-01-2008

The Chinese regulator, SARFT, chose DAB for the industrial standard in May 2006.  DMB/DAB is now on air in 11 cities across the country. After the Guangzhou launch of commercial services in 2007, the Ministry of Industry and Information (MII) decided to issue licences for DMB in mobile phones.  

Beijing Jolon, the main public broadcaster in Beijing, was a key industrial driver for the quick roll out of DAB/DMB in China as it prepared for broadcasting the Olympic Games.  DMB/DAB was successfully broadcast during the Games (pictured).

Coverage is currently available in the following provinces: Guangzhou, Beijing (approximate coverage: 12 million people), Shanghai (expected coverage: 15 million people), Dalian (expected coverage: 5.4 million people), Henan, Hangzhou, Shengyang, Jiangsu, Shenzhen, Changsha and Kunming.

• Beijing: 20 radio services (16 of which are simulcast), four video services, two data services by Beijing Jolon (commercial broadcaster) on Band III.
• Dalian: Dalian Tiantu Cable Television Network received a licence for digital radio and mobile TV via DAB/DMB and plans to launch four radio services and one video service

There are various retailers in Beijing, Shanghai & Guangzhou.

Lenevo was the first Chinese manufacturer to develop a DMB mobile phone for the Chinese market (Lenovo ET980T).  Products are also now available from Aigo, Longcheer, BBEF and SIM.  DMB devices are also now available in Beijing for affordable prices, around RMB2500 (250 Euro). To date over 80,000 such devices have been sold in Beijing alone.

Guangdong Province has had an ongoing Band III trial in the Pearl River Delta area, broadcasting eight video and four radio services. Commercial services are currently available from the Guangdong Mobile TV Media.

Shanghai has had L-band trials of DAB based services with four video, four radio and three data services since 2005.

Trials of DAB/DMB based services are expected to begin shortly in other locations across China. One key driver for DAB/DMB rollout was the deadline of the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

China’s State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT) manage licences and standards in China. It was recently announced by SARFT that no trials of digital broadcasting were permitted without a licence. Currently, Eureka 147 based services are the only European digital broadcasting technology that has been granted licences in China. In 2007 four operators were granted trial licences and, following recent SARFT approval, there are likely to be more DAB and mobile TV licences in the near future.