Over the years, France has experimented with all formats of the Eureka 147 family, DAB, DAB+ and DMB comparing the benefits of all parts of the standard. At the end of 2007, France’s Government announced that the official standard for digital radio in France would be DMB-A, to be marketed as Radio Numérique Terrestre (RNT).

Roll out of terrestrial digital radio was scheduled to start in December 2009 but was postponed amid opposition from several sources, including private radio operators. The Prime Minister commissioned a further report by David Kessler, former chief executive France Culture, which was published in mid-2011 and suggested that the conditions had not been met for the full scale deployment of digital radio in France. The report suggested a moratorium of two to three years during which time the French market would look at the deployment of digital radio in the rest of Europe. The report also stated that the government approved the CSA’s decision to allow further trials to continue.

The CSA is responsible for taking the findings of the Kessler report forward and in order to do this set up an ‘Observatory’ which includes all of the industry players. The publication of the Kessler report meant the market could move forward after a period of stagnation and to this end various trials were put on-air (Paris, Nantes, Marseille and Lyon).

In January 2012 it was reported by the French newspaper ‘Les Echos’ that the CSA had requested the Ministry of Industry to include DAB+ in the technical standard for France. The consultation for this closed in May 2012 and no further news has been released on whether this will go ahead.

The CSA published a timetable for a call for applications for tenders for digital terrestrial licenses for France’s next 20 biggest cities which will add up to 62% coverage. It is expected that services will be on-air for these licenses by the end of 2012.

In April 2012 the CSA re-launched a call of tender for 3 cities (Paris, Marseille and Nice). The four main commercial radio groups decided do not bid and the government did not allow the public service (Radio France) to pre-empt frequencies. At the beginning of October 2012 the CSA published the candidates selected for the three cities. DAB+ is in the process of being added to the list of permitted standards 

The network operator (TDF) produced comprehensive coverage plans in 2009 ready for the start of national and regional services. One of the benefits of digital radio to French listeners, as pointed out by the CSA, is that it will allow greater coverage and more stations in many areas. This is important to the CSA and to Radio France who have a remit to provide the best possible service including coverage to the widest possible audience .In Lyon TDF has broadcast a mix DAB+/DMB multiplex since 2008 with 10 to 12 radio stations. VDL also has two multiplexes covering 85% of the population and some of the major highways. Details of coverage and coverage maps can be obtained from the project leaders, VDL and TDF. Trial services are also on-air in Nantes expanding the coverage to such a level that if these services were to be granted full licenses it would mean the French law relating to mandatory inclusion of digital radio in all products once coverage reaches 20% of the population would be triggered.

In this country there are

• Regional multiplexes: 1 Regular and 4 Trial

There are two regional trial multiplexes on air.

Although the market has not yet launched, French consumers have already shown that there is a demand for new radio receiver products. Digital radio receivers capable of receiving DAB, DAB+ and DMB audio are available in the market and are selling in some of the major retailers (FNAC, DARTY, Boulanger, Auchan, Virgin) . Pure leads the way with the following models available: Pure Sensia, Pure Chorons iDock, Pure Evoke 1S, Pure Siesta Mi, Pure One Mini, Pure One Classic. Other manufacturers with digital radio products in the market are REVO, Tivoli, Dual, Philips, Roberts and Sony.

After the findings of the Kessler report France is now running further trials of the DAB family of standards. Trials currently on-air include:

RNT Lyon – A nine month consumer trial is being held in the Lyon area with 15 commercial broadcasters on two multiplexes covering 85% of the population one Multiplex is operated by VDL and one is operated by TDF. This trial started in April 2011 and has been granted a license to continue broadcasting and adding new stations and content. As this trial focuses on consumers, French network operator VDL, is raising awareness of digital radio through press conferences, a consumer website (www .rntlyon .fr), in-store promotions, public events, social networking and on-air marketing/promotional campaigns.

RNT Nantes – A trial is currently being held in the Nantes area of France in cooperation with GRAM, a group of local radio broadcasters. A promotional campaign was launched to promote digital radio to listeners in Nantes and Saint Nazaire. 

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 audio-visual 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 has been revised so that when 20% of the French population is covered by a digital radio signal, DMB will become mandatory in all devices which includes radios. Similar to the first draft of the law there is a 12 month grace period after which all products containing radio must be digital with the exception of cars. The car industry has an 18 month grace period after 20% coverage is reached. These changes were made to the law by the French Senate on 17 May 2011.

Currently in France there is a lack of FM spectrum which means the French radio market has no opportunity to expand. The French market in line with GE-06 has allocated Band III for digital radio. There has been some discussion into using the L Band for coverage of motorways although this has not been confirmed.

Following a consultation on use of the L Band last March (2011) by the CSA, a call for tenders has been sent out to use the upper part of the L Band for satellite services which closed on 27 Feb 2012.

This is possible as the upper part of the L Band is reserved for digital radio hybrid services with satellite and terrestrial broadcasting mainly based on SDR.

The tender launched by CSA is not for radio broadcasters but mainly for distributors. It is for a national network with 67 allotments based in the upper part of the L Band. Coverage objectives are 20% within three years, 40% within five years and minimum 60% within seven years. The tender requires compatibility with MA02revCO07 which will preserve the L Band for broadcasting. However, it allows DMB in the terrestrial part but also it opens up the lower part of the band for other technologies. Onde Numerique has been selected by the regulation authority to launch a hybrid terrestrial/satellite network using L band. Pay services should started by the end of 2014 using the ESDR norm.

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