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Listeners on the Isle of Wight will gain access to more local radio stations as a new small-scale DAB multiplex begins rollout from 18 April. The service from Wight Digital Radio is expected to reach around 80% of the island’s population at launch, with plans to expand coverage further as additional funding becomes available over time. Wight Digital Radio is a Community Interest Company formed through a partnership between Isle of Wight Radio and Vectis Radio, aiming to support the long-term future of local broadcasting. Eight stations will be available initially, covering community, specialist and commercial output. Kelvin Currie from Vectis Radio said: “It’s great that we will be able to secure the digital future of some existing local stations and increase listener choice with some new stations.”

Viaplay Radio aims to have expanded its DAB+ network by this summer to cover 65 per cent of the population according to Viaplay’s Head of Radio, Christer Modig. For many years, Viaplay’s DAB+ network was available in the three major metropolitan areas, plus Uppsala and Gävle. In recent months, the network has been expanded in collaboration with Teracom. “Our aim is to meet the coverage requirement for our digital licences, which is 65 per cent, before the end of the licence period... Other locations may be added depending on where we find cost-effective solutions,” says Christer Modig.

UK media regulator Ofcom has today awarded small-scale DAB multiplex licences for five more areas across the UK. Small-scale DAB is an innovative technology which provides a low-cost way for local commercial, community and specialist music services to take to the digital airwaves. So far over 100 multiplexes have launched, supporting a wide range of hyperlocal digital radio services broadcasting to listeners across all four nations of the UK. Following a competitive process, where each applicant was judged against specific criteria, multiplex licences have been awarded for the five areas: Ballymena, Barnsley, Lincoln, South West Fife, and South West Sussex.

Lithuania is one of the few EU countries where radio is still broadcast exclusively on FM, but this is set to change soon—the Ministry of Transport and Communications is launching the rollout of DAB+ digital radio. This will not only ensure higher sound quality and lower electricity costs, but will also create an effective critical infrastructure for information transmission during crises. Transport Minister Juras Taminskas discussed the possibilities for implementing DAB+ in Lithuania and the challenges faced with Jacqueline Bierhorst, President of WorldDAB. “Digital radio allows us not only to transmit sound but also to reach listeners with important messages, so that we can reach people immediately during emergencies,” says Minister J. Taminskas.

Dr Les Sabel, Chair, WorldDAB APAC Technical Group, writes: "At this year’s ABU DBS 2026, the theme “The Rising Synthetic Era” captured a defining moment for the broadcasting industry. Artificial intelligence is reshaping how content is created, discovered and distributed. Across Asia-Pacific, broadcasters are navigating a more complex landscape: fragmented audiences, new listening environments, and rising expectations around accessibility and personalisation. But alongside this transformation, a more fundamental question is emerging — how to ensure that trusted, universally accessible media continues to reach audiences at scale. This was the thread running through WorldDAB’s contribution to the conference."

GlitterBeam is extending its reach across Kent and South London on DAB while opening a new studio in Chatham. The station will now be available on small scale DAB multiplexes across the region, increasing access in the South East. Alongside the expansion, a new studio which has been named Auravine, has opened at the Dockside Outlet Centre in Chatham. The space is designed to support live broadcasting, interviews and podcast production in one location. Eugenio Ceriello, co-founder of GlitterBeam, said: “Expanding on DAB across the whole of Kent and South London allows us to reach more listeners than ever before, while Auravine represents our vision for the future of GlitterBeam.”

The manager of the public company Infraestructures i Serveis de Telecomunicacions i Certificació (ISTEC), Juan Alegre, has announced the launch of a technical evaluation programme for various DAB+ digital terrestrial radio transmitters, which drives the Valencian Community’s preparations for digital radio and actively positions it within the process of transforming the radio sector in Spain. “These tests,” said Juan Alegre, “enable us to ensure that the technology we implement in our region meets the highest quality standards. Laboratory evaluation is a key step in guaranteeing an efficient, sustainable transition to digital radio, aimed at offering the best possible experience to the public.”

Radio France listeners will have to adjust to some changes by the end of the summer: France Musique will only be broadcast digitally in certain areas, as part of a gradual shift away from traditional radio. “We will be telling listeners: get yourselves DAB+ receivers from tomorrow,” explains the public broadcaster’s chair, Sibyle Veil. The aim is both to “modernise the distribution” of radio and to achieve savings, against a backdrop of severe budgetary constraints, Sibyle Veil had told journalists beforehand. Around 300 FM transmitters, representing 12% of Radio France’s network, will be returned to the audiovisual regulator, Arcom, yielding annual savings of €3.9 million. The authority will be able to reallocate them.

Digital terrestrial radio continues to roll out across France with the launch today in Cherbourg of 25 national radio stations available on DAB+. These initial launches in Cherbourg will be followed by the launch of 26 additional local, regional and themed radio stations by the end of the year, providing the public with a comprehensive, pluralistic and diverse range of services. Ultimately, the digital radio offering in Cherbourg and more broadly across the Cotentin region will therefore comprise 52 stations—local, regional and national, public and private—some of which will be new to listeners, thereby doubling the current FM offering in the area. More than 70% of the population now has access to DAB+.

WorldDAB President Jacqueline Bierhorst speaks to Ivan Laskov, Head of Content for Radio Express, at Radiodays Europe 2026 in Riga about why broadcast radio - and DAB+ in particular - matters. "It gives radio reach, resilience and control," she says. "And it supports safety, protects language and your culture, and it keeps distribution in our own hands as broadcasters - I think that's very important. You have to have a broadcast backbone as we've seen in Spain when there's power outages. As we've seen through terrorism attacks, and extreme weather, broadcast towers are more robust and resilient and DAB+ is. It also includes ASA automatic safety alert - which will be implemented in Germany. That's now part of their warning system in the country."