United Arab Emirates services on air

United Arab Emirates automotive

Last update: 21.09.2020

 The Cabinet resolution of the UAE Terrestrial Radio Receiver Specifications for AM/FM/T-DAB+, which is available in Arabic on the ESMA website , states the following:

 Article (1)

 The approved standard No. UAE.S 5021:2018, titled “The UAE Terrestrial Radio Receiver Specifications AM/FM/T-DAB+”, is a mandatory standard for implementation in the UAE.

 Article (2)

 The provisions of this resolution shall be applied as follows:

1. The standard applies to all other household and portable receivers from the date of 1 January 2020.

2. The standard applies to vehicles that are supplied to the country starting from the 2020 models with a percentage of no less than 50% of the vehicles, and it applies to all vehicles starting from the models of 2024 by 100%.

United Arab Emirates receiver market

Last update: 14.11.2023

The GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) List of GSO Technical Regulations for Motor Vehicles (2024 Model Year) states:

Implementation of Terrestrial Radio Receiver Specifications for AM/FM/TDAB+:

UAE: All vehicles should be provided with AM/FM/T-DAB+ according to UAE.S 5021: 2018: Terrestrial Radio Receiver Specifications.

United Arab Emirates details of trials

Last update: 21.09.2020

Four DAB+ channels were broadcast across Abu Dhabi as part of the trials GatesAir ran with Abu Dhabi Media. The official start date for the DAB+ Trial in Abu Dhabi was 1st July 2015. The trial period was for 90 days to start then it was expected to be extended. As per the TRA Regulations, the trial could be a maximum of 180 days. The trial covered the entire population of Abu Dhabi, 1.8 million people.

Two Broadcasting Operators of the United Arab Emirates, Arabian Radio Network Dubai and UAE Radio & TV Ajman successfully completed test / trials for T-DAB+ technology in cities of Dubai and Ajman during March 2014 - February 2015. The main purpose was to test the technology for coverage and reception quality. 

United Arab Emirates regulation and spectrum

Last update: 29.10.2026 - older versions

The Cabinet resolution of the UAE Terrestrial Radio Receiver Specifications for AM/FM/T-DAB+ states the following:

Article (1)

The approved standard No. UAE.S 5021:2018, titled “The UAE Terrestrial Radio Receiver Specifications AM/FM/T-DAB+”, is a mandatory standard for implementation in the UAE.

Article (2)

The provisions of this resolution shall be applied as follows:

1. The standard applies to all other household and portable receivers from the date of 1 January 2020.

2. The standard applies to vehicles that are supplied to the country starting from the 2020 models with a percentage of no less than 50% of the vehicles, and it applies to all vehicles starting from the models of 2024 by 100%.

In April 2026, the GCC Standardisation Organisation (GSO), a standards organisation for the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Yemen, published GSO 2693:2026, The GCC Terrestrial Radio Receiver Specifications for AM/FM/T-DAB+. It says:

This specification shall apply to all producers, manufacturers, importers and retailers who wish to sell radio receivers and all other products which have built-in radio receivers in the GCC countries.

This specification shall be used to assess the eligibility of a product for use in the GCC countries.

This specification covers devices which can receive terrestrially transmitted AM, FM and T-DAB+ radio services. Some of these devices may also receive other digital radio services via alternative delivery platforms, such as the internet. This specification does not cover details of a receiver intended to receive digital services via these alternative delivery platforms.

This specification covers many types of receivers, including home receivers, portable receivers, devices integrated into the vehicle dashboard and aftermarket devices mounted in the dashboard, behind the dashboard, to the vehicle windscreen or elsewhere.

This specification covers devices whose sole function is to receive radio services, and devices which have one or more other functions in addition to receiving radio services.

The document was an update to GSO 2693:2022, officially released on May 12, 2022 by Gulf Standardization Organization (GSO) with document No. GSO:803170.