News

The French regulator CSA has launched a new call for tenders for DAB+ licenses across a number of locations in France. Specifically, the call for tenders concerns the cities and regions of Amiens, Angers, Brest, Caen, Clermont-Ferrand, Limoges, Le Mans, Metz, Montpellier, Nancy, Nîmes, Perpignan, Reims, Rennes and Troyes. Interested parties should submit their applications to the CSA by 6 November 2019.

Commenting on the implications of 5G for the development of DAB+ in Europe and beyond, Deutschlandradio's Stefan Raue stated that 5G lacks the required specifications, standards and a suitable business model tailored to support radio broadcasts, highlighting the EECC directive as an indication of the radio industry's future in Germany and Europe.

Viacom has announced the launch of a new MTV radio station on DAB+ in Denmark. The nationwide radio station will be available to DAB+ listeners across the country.

Reflecting on the launch of Austria's national DAB+ services, Gernot Fischer from Radio Technikum touched on the high number of receivers already sold in Austria, Germany and beyond, pointing to DAB+ as the chore future platform for radio, highlighting that 5G would certainly not replace it, but merely act as a complement.

According to Energy Austria managing director Alexander Wagner, the launch of national DAB+ in Austria in May has already benefited the radio station, which has gained new listeners in parts of Austria where Energy is only available through DAB+.

Computer Bild's roundup of the best DAB+ digital radios currently on the market includes the Hama DIR3100 and Roberts Stream 65i.

At IBC 2019, GatesAir will be highlighting its expanded range of DAB Radio transmitters and solutions resulting from the company’s recent acquisition of ONEtastic. The expanded portfolio is anchored by MultiD, a multicarrier DAB transmitter; and a new liquid-cooled VHF range to serve all DAB power levels.

A major Swedish commercial radio group has launched a new DAB multiplex with 13 radio stations. Initially in Stockholm, the multiplex will soon expand to cover Uppsala, Gävle, Gothenburg and Malmö. The radio group has signed an agreement with Paneda to provide five complete DAB head-end systems, and the order includes complete systems with multiplexers and audio encoders.

Seat has announced that all of its cars released in Italy in 2020 will come equipped with DAB+ digital radio. This decision means Seat will be in line with the Italian regulation mandating DAB+ radio in all new cars released from 1 January 2020 onward.

As radio in Switzerland continues its journey toward digitisation, Swiss drivers whose cars do not include DAB+ radio - an estimated 3.5 million cars - have been urged to make their vehicles future-proof by adding DAB+ receivers or adaptors to their cars. Currently, approximately 91 percent of new cars released in Switzerland are factory-fitted with DAB+.