News

Network operator towerCast has ordered additional three complete multiplexer systems from Paneda. The new systems will be put in operation in Mâcon, Bourg-en-Bresse and Rouen/Etendu. Commenting on the announcement, Towercast president Raphael Eyraud said “We are pleased to note that DAB in France is expanding, and that towerCast are able to be a key part in the DAB roll out in France. The previous systems from Paneda has performed very well and is much appreciated by us for its easy to use and understand approach”.

At IBC, German technology company IZT will highlight a range of new features for IT-based digital radio head-ends, a RF signal source with enhanced support for broadcast standards and equipment for virtual field tests.

Public broadcaster SWR has announced its plans to expand DAB+ network coverage in the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate in western Germany. The expansion is set to start in the third quarter of 2019 and continue into 2020.

In this series of interviews on WorldDAB members exhibiting at IBC, Rich Redmond of GatesAir explains how he sees the digital radio industry evolving in the coming years, and tells us about the DAB+ products GatesAir will showcase at this year’s event.

CSA’s decision to redefine the Wallonia-Brussels federation radio landscape for a nine-year term marks an important step toward digital radio development. The inclusion of independent radio stations makes DAB+ offerings in the French speaking part of the country one of the richest and most diverse in Europe. With 141 DAB+ licenses still available for local and independent broadcasters, the CSA plans to organize a new frequency round, which will allow more independent stations to go on air.

The European Electronic Communications Code (EECC) entered into force on 20 December 2018, and must be transposed into national legislation by Member States by 21 December 2020. It applies to all EU member states regardless of the status of DAB in each country. This factsheet outlines the rollout status of various countries implementing the EECC directive.

Public broadcaster SWR has announced its plans to expand DAB+ network coverage in the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate in western Germany. The expansion is set to start in the third quarter of 2019 and continue into 2020.

Ofcom has recently advertised DAB digital radio multiplex licences for the Morecambe Bay, North and West Cumbria and Southwest Scotland areas. Bauer Digital is one of the largest operators of local digital radio multiplexes in the UK, operating DAB multiplexes across Scotland, the North of England and in Northern Ireland.

Italian public and private DAB+ network operators - namely Radio Rai, EuroDab Italy and DAB Italia - have expanded their respective DAB+ broadcast networks in anticipation of the law requiring all radio receivers sold to the public to digital radio capabilities.

In a move to promote the implementation and uptake of digital radio in Germany, the Cabinet of Germany has adopted a draft law requiring cars and certain consumer radios to be digital. The law is set to be in line with the EECC directive, requires all new car radios in the EU to be capable of receiving digital terrestrial radio by the end of 2020.