UK analogue radio switch-off could start in 2017
A report from the UK’s Digital Radio Working Group claims that the switchover from analogue to digital radio could begin in 2017, and be complete by 2020 – although it calls for extra funding from the Government or BBC to help commercial radio networks with the costs.
The report suggests that the first step in the switch-off would only come once 50% of the hours spent listening to radio in the UK are through digital – something that’s expected to be reached by 2015. There would then be a two-year notice period before the first radio stations started properly moving from AM or FM to DAB.
Chairman of the Digital Radio Development Bureau Simon Cole has welcomed the move, saying “This is not an if. This is a when, and that is very important. We know what the timetable is.”
However, the move may be controversial, given the misgivings in some quarters about the DAB technology itself, and just how futureproof it is.
Tags: DAB, digital radio
