World DAB Forum enjoys 'wave of support'
The World Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) Forum has pointed to a series of recent announcements from legislative bodies and broadcasters as indicating a "wave of growing support for DAB".
The announcements include:
- The setting of an objective by Norwegian public broadcaster NRK to migrate its services to DAB and switching off FM in 2014.
- Plans by the Dutch government to switch off analogue radio signals no later than 2019; the country's economic ministry is working on proposals to introduce commercial digital radio licences this autumn.
- The approval of Italy's media authority for a regulatory framework for DAB.
In Australia, the heads of the country's major commercial radio networks gathered in Canberra for four days of meetings with federal government ministers to discuss the policy and timeframe for the introduction of DAB. Broadcasters are already conducting digital radio trials in Sydney.
And in China, broadcaster Radio Beijing is set to begin trials of DAB this month, and hopes to launch an official DAB service later in 2005.
Annika Nyberg, president of the World DAB Forum, said: "Establishing strong legislation and regulation is the first step to creating a digital radio market that is beneficial to both consumers and broadcasters. We are pleased to see more and more countries adopting such legislation and thus laying the groundwork for a smooth roll out of DAB digital radio services."
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