DAB network resilience: timing and synchronisation

Organised by

Date: 11th December 2025

Location: Online

Types: Webinar

Thursday 11 December, 10:00 to 12:00 CET

DAB+ network resilience: timing and synchronisation

a webinar from the WorldDAB Spectrum and Network Implementation Committee

The resilience of Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) networks is emerging as a critical issue as this technology progressively replaces legacy analogue transmission systems, in particular FM broadcasting. Single Frequency Networks (SFNs) based on DAB+ offer significant advantages, including wide-area coverage, reduced energy consumption, lower CO₂ emissions, and substantial decreases in transmission costs. These benefits, however, are contingent upon stringent synchronisation of the modulated signals to prevent unintended self-interference.

The time references required for transmitter synchronisation are susceptible to degradation due to drift, intentional jamming, unintentional interference, or other impairments. Consequently, both network operators and equipment manufacturers are implementing diverse mitigation strategies to enhance robustness, reduce susceptibility to disturbances, and ensure high availability of DAB+ networks, even in scenarios where conventional time reference sources cannot be considered fully reliable.

The webinar is free to attend and is aimed at broadcasters, network planners, engineers, and manufacturers. It will provide valuable insights into safeguarding the future of DAB+.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Session moderator

Hanns Wolter
Technical Director, DAB Italia and Chair, WorldDAB Spectrum and Network Implementation Committee

Hanns has been working in the DAB world since 2000 as a Product Manager and has, in these years worked on all issues regarding DAB, at both a national and international level, including the introduction of DAB+ in 2007. He is involved in network planning and spectrum issues and also works closely with hardware manufacturers for the deployment of a comprehensive DAB environment. Currently, he is responsible for the planning and management of the ongoing roll-out of DAB Italia’s network and all issues related to the creation, distribution and transmission of the multiplex.

A

Martin Acklin-Peyer
Project Manager, SRG SSR

Martin Acklin-Peyer is a broadcast architect at SRG, Switzerland's public broadcaster. He has been working in the broadcast sector for 20 years and is currently project manager at SRG, responsible for the expansion of DAB+ in Switzerland. He has expertise in the planning and design of DAB+ and DVB-T antennas, transmitters, networks, signal feed and the application of wave propagation models. His expertise also covers topics in the field of FM and DVB-S. Today, he plays a key role in shaping the digital future of SRG distribution. Martin holds a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (Switzerland).

G

Luis Grela
Managing Director, TRedess

Luis Grela is a Telecommunications engineer (University of Vigo, Spain) with over 25 years of experience working in the broadcast industry and since 2018 is Managing Director of TRedess.

In his professional career he has held a number of positions, initially working in the R&D areas in several companies (including Tandberg TV) and developing HW and SW solution for TV broadcasters, later moving into roles related to the customer support and presales at Ericsson TV.

He joined TRedess in 2010 and during the last decade he has been leading (in his role as Sales Director) the international expansion of TRedess as a company fully specialised in TV and DAB+ transmitters and Gap fillers (with more than 28,000 transmitting devices operating in more than 65 countries).

Becky Keene
Stakeholder Relations Manager, WorldDAB

Becky Keene is a broadcast media specialist with more than 10 years of experience driving the global expansion of DAB+ digital radio. Since 2012, she has served as Stakeholder Relations Manager at WorldDAB, managing international engagement, the organisation’s global membership, and supporting the digital transformation of radio across multiple markets. In her role, Becky works closely with broadcasters, manufacturers, and regulators worldwide, fostering collaboration and ensuring effective coordination across the DAB+ ecosystem. Her work spans stakeholder engagement, member retention and recruitment, and cross-sector advocacy, grounded in a strong commitment to innovation in audio broadcasting. Before joining WorldDAB, Becky worked at RadioCentre, the industry body for commercial radio in the UK, where she gained deep insight into the country’s dynamic radio landscape.

Phil Kesby
Domain Architect – BBC Architecture, Arqiva

Phil Kesby is a chartered Engineer with over 25 years of experience designing and delivering broadcast systems for AM, FM, DAB and DTT, continuing to innovate and develop these technologies to enable optimised deployment for broadcasters, network operators and consumers. Phil has led the development of new approaches for the reduction of energy consumption in terrestrial broadcast platforms for the BBC and Arqiva and led the design for network synchronisation for the Arqiva DAB network. He is a member of the World DAB Technical committee and is vice-chairperson for the ETSI committee defining harmonised standards for broadcast transmitters and receivers (ERM TG-17). Phil received his Bachelor of Engineering degree from the University of Leicester (UK).

December 11th
10:00 - 12:00	DAB network resilience: timing and synchronisation

December 11th, 10:00-12:00 CET
10:00 - 10:05	Welcome and introduction Moderator: Hanns Wolter, Technical Director, DAB Italia and Chair, WorldDAB Spectrum and Network Implementation Committee, Italy
10:05 - 10:10	Benefits of WorldDAB membership Speaker: Rebecca Keene, Stakeholder Relations Manager, WorldDAB
10:10 - 10:30	A network operator's approach to time synchronisation reliability Speaker: Phil Kesby, Domain Architect – BBC Architecture, Arqiva, United Kingdom Synchronisation inside the Arqiva DAB network, its impact on coverage and the mechanisms used to identify possible disruptions.
10:30 - 10:50	Best practice approach to time sychronsiation disruptions Speaker: Martin Acklin-Peyer, Project Manager, SRG SSR, Switzerland Time synchronisation is the backbone of reliable DAB+ networks, yet disruptions can pose serious risks to stability and performance. In this session, SRG SSR will share their real‑world experiences with synchronisation challenges, the disruptions they encountered and the solutions they implemented to resolve them.
10:50 - 11:10	Ensuring reliability in SFN networks through smarter time synchronisation Speaker: Luis Grela, Managing Director, TRedess, Spain Learn how TRedess approach an evolving geopolitical environment by exploring new solutions, recommended approaches, alternative solutions, and mitigation techniques to ensure network stability in order to face these new challenges of Time Synchronisation in SFN networks.
11:10 - 12:00	Q&A

Thursday 11 December, 10:00 to 12:00 CET

A webinar hosted by the WorldDAB Spectrum and Network Implementation Committee.

Discover how precise synchronisation underpins the success of Single Frequency Networks (SFNs) for DAB.

In this webinar, experts from across the industry will share the time reference strategies used by network operators and equipment manufacturers to ensure high availability and reliability of DAB networks.