Population:	63.0 million
Coverage:	20%
Services:	114 DAB, 11 DAB+, 35 Data, 3 DMB

Last update: 18-01-2008

The launch of DMB digital radio services in France is expected in December 2010.

Over the years, France has experimented with all formats in the Eureka 147 family of standards, DAB, DAB+ and DMB, comparing one to the other.  In Paris, Marseille and other major towns, some of these trial multiplexes remain on air.

At the end of 2007, France's regulator, the Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel (CSA) announced that the official standard for digital radio in France would be DMB-A, to be marketed as Radio Numérique Terrestre.   (It is worth noting that DMB-A differs from the DMB in use in Korea because the audio codecs are different.)

Some broadcasters in France advocate the use of DAB+ alongside DMB, but it is clear that, in general, French broadasters support the swift deployment of digital radio across the country.

In March 2008, the CSA published a call for tenders for terrestrial digital radio licences.  It received an enthusiastic response with approximately 300 plus applications and in 2009 the licences were allocated in three main towns: Paris, Marseille-Aix and Nice-Cannes.

In January 2009 a law was passed which sets out a three step programme of integration of digital radio into all receivers including those in cars. It states that on the 1st September 2013 all radio receivers must be digital enabled, including those in cars.

The current deployment of digital radio is planned for December 2010 in Paris, Nice and Marseille. An appropriate plan for coverage and roll out of digital radio across the remaining areas in France will then be put in place.

In this country there are

• National multiplex: 1 Trial
• Regional multiplexes: 30 Trial
• Local multiplexes: 2 Trial

Although the market is waiting for the official roll out plan for digital radio to be released by the CSA, radio sets capable of receiving DMB, DAB and DAB+ stations are already available.

In 2007, the CSA, the French regulatory body, created a working group on digital radio and authorised eight trials to take place in France for a duration of six months; six in T-DMB, one in DMB and DAB+.

Following a decree by the French Ministry of Industry, the Digital Radio Association, at the end of July 2007 a trial took place in Nantes to compare DAB+ and DMB radio. These trials demonstrated the capacity of both standards for radio services and data applications.

Digital radio licences will be issued in France with a duration of 10 to 15 years and any broadcasters going digital will get a five year extension of their analogue licences. Simulcasting, associated data and audiovisual communication services will be permitted. Analogue and digital licences are both issued free of charge. There is a quota for French music and new artists and the current analogue rules which govern advertising and sponsorship will apply to digital radio.

The French Law on digital radio released in March 2009 can be found in the Useful Links section (French version).