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Luxembourg - Current situation - History

31.03.2023

On 29 March 2023, Luxembourg's Media, Connectivity and Digital Policy Department published a roadmap to support the launch and roll-out of DAB+.

In a statement, the department said it "regularly analyzes the opportunity for a national deployment and considers that the time for the introduction of DAB+ in Luxembourg is NOW."

"The objectives are ambitious:

  • Enrich the sound media offer in Luxembourg;
  • Ensure quasi-national coverage in mobile reception (motorway networks and tunnels);
  • Support access to digital radio broadcasting of local radio stations."

The roadmap presents the strategic vision, the legal aspects, the practical arrangements and the provisional timetable for the launch of DAB+.

The roadmap is available here.

Roadmap procedure and schedule

"The deployment phase should start from the adoption of the bill, that is to say in principle at the end of 2023 or during the first quarter of 2024 and is expected to last three years. This launch period will allow in particular the detection of any technical difficulties on the ground and to specify the needs for improvement in terms of quality of retransmission of the signal and coverage on the national territory, including on the road network.

During this deployment phase, a first digital multiplex with national coverage will be launched.

The tunnels of the motorway network are equipped with a system of relay transmitters for the reception of FM radios. Such a system will also be set up for DAB+ transmission. Preparations are currently underway to equip the first tunnels with such a system in 2023.

 In consultation with ALIA and with the federation of local radio stations, the Dachverband der Luxemburger Lokalradios, hereinafter the “DLLR”, a specific solution for local radio stations will also be developed.

The digital broadcasting of local radio stations on a second multiplex could thus complete the digital broadcasting landscape. With regard to the launch of such a second multiplex reserved for local radio stations, specific support adapted to the needs of local radio stations will be studied."

11.08.2021

A DAB+ trial took place in 2021, and preparations are now underway on the preparation of a regulatory framework for the launch of DAB+ in 2022.  Local radio is currently conducting trials of DAB+, and the regulatory framework will include provision also for local radio to launch on DAB+.  

22.12.2020

A DAB+ trial is currently on air in Luxembourg, covering 75% of the population, and regular DAB+ services are set to be rolled out in 2021.

In December 2020,  Luxembourg's Department of Media, Telecommunications and Digital Policy along with the Broadcasting Center Europe (BCE), published a research aimed at identifying the various requirements needed to deploy DAB+ in Luxembourg.

The findings of the research will now be analysed, and followed with a timeline for the rollout of DAB+ services in 2021. In September 2020, public broadcaster RTL announced plans to launch regular DAB+ services in Luxembourg in 2021.