News

The Italian Parliament approved and published, on 27 and 31 December respectively, the Budget Law for the three year period between 2019-2021 stating that all VHF frequencies in Italy are reserved for DAB planning. The Ministry of Economic Development is working on agreements with neighbouring countries to optimise frequency allocations.

Population coverage is now standing at 98 percent, while household penetration stands at 89 percent. According to the Digital Media's Digital Audio Review, the proportion of households with access to at least one DAB+ device has risen from 15.7 in 2017 to 18.1 percent in 2018, while according to HEMIX, 774,000 DAB+ devices were sold in the first three quarters of 2018 - a 13 percent increase over the same period last year.

Ten new DAB+ transmitters have been deployed in the Czech Republic as part of the second launch phase at the end of December, with population coverage now standing at 61 percent.

As DAB+ continues to grow in France, French independent radio union SIRTI has published a practical guide on DAB+ aimed at the general public. The guide includes practical information on the nature of DAB+ as well as specific details on its rollout in France over the next few years.

Already available on DAB+ in 11 countries, Radio Maria has distributed thousands of its own receivers to listeners across Europe in an effort to promote DAB+ radio.

Broadcasting on the FM band in and around Lyon for over 10 years, Capsao radio is looking to take advantage of the rollout of DAB+ and expand further across France. Already available on DAB+ in Paris, Lille, Lens and now Strasbourg and Lyon, the station is expected to be available in a number of additional cities as the rollout of DAB+ continues to expand in France.

2018 marked the first year in which the majority of radio listening was digital, while for 2019 we can expect the growth of digital stations, the rise of digital listening, the digitisation of the car and the launch of hundreds of new local stations on small-scale DAB.

The network operator towerCast and Paneda have signed an agreement for DAB head end systems, which will see Paneda provide DAB multiplexer systems to towerCast over the next years. Additionally, towerCast has ordered 2 complete systems for upcoming multiplexers in the Lyon area.

The Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel has published in its official journal the list of 40 radio stations that have applied for licences on the national DAB+ multiplex in France. The next step will be the selection process, taking place over the coming weeks.

The Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel has announced that over 20% of the French population is now covered with DAB+, meaning manufacturers will be required to equip all radio receivers with a DAB+ chip in the next 18 months.