Newsroom

04.09.2026

Indonesia

Sitting in the audience at Radiodays Asia in Jakarta today, listening to broadcasters and technology leaders discuss the role of radio during emergencies, I couldn’t help but think back to Victoria’s devastating bushfire season earlier this year. The session, Broadcasting Through Crisis: How Radio Saves Lives, brought together representatives from WorldDAB, Thailand’s digital radio rollout and Australia’s own ACE Radio Network. Much of the discussion focused on emerging technologies such as DAB+ Emergency Warning Systems, capable of waking radios from standby mode and delivering targeted warnings to specific geographic areas.

28.08.2026

Netherlands

WorldDAB and Broadcast NetworksEurope will bring policy, emergency alerting and digital migration into focus during IBC2026 in Amsterdam. Their session, “Broadcast radio’s moment: resilient, relevant, irreplaceable,” takes place Sunday, Sept. 13, from 2:30–4 p.m. in Room E102. WorldDAB Project Director Bernie O’Neill will produce and moderate the program, followed by networking coffee in the Ruby Lounge outside the conference room.

28.08.2026

Germany

With the “ASA DE” service, the Automatic Safety Alert (ASA) will go on air across Germany via the DAB+ network from 10 September. For listeners, the cross-sector information portal run by Digitalradio Deutschland e.V. has set up a dedicated information page: www.dabplus.de/asa. The page provides step-by-step instructions on how to set up ASA-certified radios. The page also provides clear information, supported by video examples, on how to use the warning system and its benefits. ‘ASA DE’ expands the existing mix of warning methods – comprising sirens, apps and cell broadcasts – to include safety alerts broadcast directly via DAB+ radio.

19.08.2026

Germany

In an emergency, every minute counts. A new safety system for DAB+ digital radio, known as Automatic Safety Alert (ASA), is currently being developed and is expected to launch nationwide in September under the service identifier ASA DE. The safety feature can be tested at home or in an electronics shop. Over 35 different DAB+ radio models have already been successfully certified for ASA and are available in shops or online. Certified devices can be identified by the ASA quality mark on the packaging or directly on the radio. Set-up and the function test can be carried out in just a few steps. Information on ASA and instructions for the function test are available to download as a PDF at www.dabplus.de/asa.

13.08.2026

Germany

The members of Digitalradio Deutschland e.V., together with other stakeholders from the broadcasting industry, have released guidelines for the network-wide roll-out of the Automatic Safety Alert (ASA). ASA is setting new global standards for the dissemination of safety alerts via DAB+ radio. The publication of the guidelines was preceded by a development and coordination phase lasting more than two years. They are aimed at B2B audiences, including transmission network operators and broadcasters, who wish to assess and implement the introduction of ASA via DAB+. Together with the globally applicable ETSI standard for alerts via DAB+, the guidelines describe the entire alert chain, from the text message sent by the alerting authority to the activation of the receiver in the event of a crisis.

27.05.2026

Germany

Helmut G. Bauer, member of Digitalradio Deutschland writes: The floods on the Ahr, Erft and Wupper rivers, as well as the war in Ukraine, have highlighted the importance of effective warning systems. The floods revealed weaknesses, such as mobile network failures and limited accessibility via radio, as only switched-on devices could receive warnings. With ‘ASA – Automatic Safety Alert’, a digital DAB+ warning system has been developed that automatically switches on DAB+ radios and broadcasts warnings specifically within the danger zone. As part of civil protection, a resilient radio infrastructure is required. The federal government, the Länder, the KEF and the state media authorities must contribute to its funding, as civil protection is a public responsibility.

03.04.2026

Belgium

Belgium’s French-language public broadcaster, RTBF, could play a role in a new government-led crisis radio service designed to deliver urgent public information during emergencies. The issue came to light following a report by Sudinfo, a news platform focused on regional and local coverage in southern Belgium. The report said the broadcaster is considering launching a crisis radio channel to ensure the flow of critical information to the public during emergencies. The proposal was subsequently discussed on March 31 during a meeting of the parliamentary commission of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles. The concept involves a dedicated radio channel using RTBF’s broadcast infrastructure, with DAB+ identified as the preferred distribution platform.

20.03.2026

Spain

Spain's National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC) has published a report containing recommendations to strengthen the efficiency and resilience of the Spanish electricity system, based on the conclusions drawn from the investigation into the incident that occurred on 28 April 2025. The report includes recommendations for other sectors affected by their reliance on the electricity supply. In the telecommunications and audiovisual sectors, there is a call to strengthen coordination with electricity planning, including promoting the roll-out of DAB+ and automatic safety alerts. "The widespread roll-out of DAB+ and subsequently its alert system is an essential recommendation in light of the incident of 28 April 2025," the report says.

15.12.2025

Germany

In crisis situations, every second counts – and DAB+ radio can become a vital source of information. The new Automatic Safety Alert (ASA) system, which is currently being tested, is capable of automatically switching on certified DAB+ radios and immediately transmitting recommendations for action for the affected region. As a further step towards the introduction of ASA, it is now possible to experience the technology live: anyone who already owns an ASA-certified device or is testing one in a specialist shop can see for themselves. The new function test is broadcast via the first national programme platform and can be received, for example, via the Deutschlandfunk channel ‘Dokumente und Debatten DokDeb’ (Documents and Debates DokDeb).

04.12.2025

Türkiye

Under the academic leadership of Prof. Dr. Mehmet Kemal Özdemir, Head of the Artificial Intelligence Engineering Department at Istanbul Medipol University, and with the contributions of fourth-year Electrical and Electronics Engineering students Hakan Sabuniş and Yusuf Ünlü, the development and testing process of the DAB+ ASA (Automatic Safety Alert) system, implemented for the first time in Turkey, was successfully completed. The demo test of this advanced technology system, which has only been trialled in Germany in Europe to date, was conducted at the Çamlıca Television Tower. During the testing process, all components of the system were operated flawlessly, and its performance was successfully observed under emergency scenarios.