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Bernie O'Neill writes: As we published our latest infographic to coincide with World Radio Day 2025, I wanted to go back to the archives to see how far we’d travelled on our DAB+ journey, compared to some of the earliest editions of our research document. In 2013, the organisation — then known as “WorldDMB” (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) — published its initial data-drop. In the first year of the infographic, the United Kingdom led the way with 20 million receiver sales (including pre-2008 data). Today, this figure stands at an impressive 55 million. Australia, Norway and Switzerland each had over 1 million receivers sold in 2013 — and just over ten years later, those figures now stand at 10m, 9m, and 6m respectively, alongside Germany now totaling 28 million and Italy reporting 12 million sales.

This is not the RIN Italia Network project, which FM-world reported in recent weeks and which will be launched in March, but the broadcaster of the publisher Domenico Zambarelli, with editor-in-chief Massimo Lualdi. The programming - at the moment - is characterised by a pop flow. The identifier simply reads ‘ITALIA NETWORK’. Radio Italia Network can be heard in Lombardy on the DRG DAB mux (channel 7B) and in Veneto on the GoDab mux (channel 8C).

With resolution No. 44/25/CONS of 18 February 2025, the Italian Communications Regulator concluded the fact-finding investigation into the regulation of the DAB+ digital terrestrial radio broadcasting platform. In its resolution closing the fact-finding investigation, Agcom considered adopting a gradual approach, with short-, medium- and long-term interventions. In particular, in the short term, the Authority considers as a priority the need to ensure legal certainty and the continuity of the start-up of the digital radio broadcasting market, by providing for the completion of the assignment of rights of use.

Urban radio station Glxy Radio has as yet started broadcasting on the regional DAB+ network for Noord-Holland and Flevoland. Since last weekend, the station can be found on channel 8B in both provinces. It was recently announced that Glxy has applied for the auction of non-national commercial radio frequencies to be held later this year.

Every year, new transmitters are put into service to ensure an increasingly fine mesh of the territory. The coverage of the metropolitan population by DAB+ has exceeded 50%. All municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants in metropolitan France are now covered and 557 private and public radio stations broadcast their programs in DAB+. 615 transmitters are in service in France. After a second phase of deployment, which was completed in 2024, the two metropolitan multiplexes are preparing a third phase are preparing a third phase of deployment, which will be implemented from the second half of 2025.

The Office of Electronic Communications has launched a consultation on a new Frequency Plan for the 174-230 MHz band. This is the VHF band occupied by MUX-8 terrestrial digital television, and possibly by additional DAB+ multiplexes in the future. "For the time being, I can confirm that Emitel will take part in the consultation," says Agnieszka Sobucka, the company's spokeswoman, to Wirtualnemedia.pl. "The consulted project aims to reduce restrictions on the free development of digital terrestrial radio broadcasting (hereafter ‘NRC’), to reduce the likelihood of interference in the network of DAB+ broadcasting stations taking into account the market demand for local NRC multiplexes," UKE President Jacek Oko wrote in the announcement.

In 2024, over 1.2 million radio sets with DAB+ were sold over physical and virtual shop counters in Germany. This corresponds to 50 per cent of all radio receivers sold and a significant increase compared to 2020, when the share was 35 per cent. The electrical engineering association ZVEI cited these figures with reference to the retail panel of the market research institute GfK as part of World Radio Day on 13 February. According to the ZVEI, traditional radio listening remains popular in Germany despite the growth in streaming services. Nine out of ten users continue to enjoy radio reception. Around two thirds of listeners rely on streaming or web radio, according to a consumer survey conducted by GfK on behalf of the ZVEI.

“New opportunities in media are helping us open up to the world,” said Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud at the opening of this week’s Saudi Media Forum in Riyadh. At the conference and forum there is a focus on media, the economy, energy, AI technologies, politics and entrepreneurship. In another session on the first day of the conference titled The Future of Radio Begins Now, World DAB’s Jacqueline Bierhorst and MBC Music Group’s Group Director of Audio Ziad Hamza discussed the importance of being digital with session host Ghadeer Al-Shehri, a presenter at local station AlUla FM. Jacky said: “In my own country, FM listening is 30% and the rest is digital, this is a common trend in Europe where digital broadcasting has gained a huge audience.”

Taneční rádio has already broadcast digitally in the past, between 2012 and 2019. Now, through a new company, it is applying for a new licence for terrestrial digital broadcasting. The new operator of SeeJay Radio is to be MS Radio Group, which is half-owned by Martin Černý and Hotinvest, the company of Hana Janíková, the wife of the station's original founder Svatopluk Janík. Although the station has not yet obtained a licence, it has already agreed to be included in the Prague multiplex of Fiera touch. "We have a preliminary agreement, but I will announce the cooperation when we actually start broadcasting," said Pavel Hájek, owner of Fiera touch, when asked by Televizníweb.cz.

The Tarbijakaitse ja Tehnilise Järelevalve Amet (TTJA) [Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority] launched a public call for tenders for frequency authorisations for digital radio services. Only Levira submitted an application to participate in the tender, the Authority said. Participants in the open call for applications had to submit the required documents to the TTJA by 23.59 on 17 February at the latest, and the qualification of the application will be carried out by the TTJA within eight working days. The objects of the competition are three frequency licences in the 174-225 MHz band for nationwide use. Up to three frequency authorisations may be awarded to a single applicant.