As 2021 came to a close, KRRiT, the Polish broadcasting regulator, announced plans to tender licenses for a nationwide DAB+ multiplex. The multiplex would support a dozen channels.
According to the KRRiT’s announcement, three of the channels will be reserved for public service broadcaster Polskie Radio’s national channels; three will be for nationwide extension of existing program services; and the remaining six will be for new or extended “broadcasting licenses of a universal or specialized nature.” The announcement was made in Polish on Dec. 29.
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According to wirtualnemedia.pl, the licenses for three existing services are expected to go to private broadcasters RMF FM and Radio Zet, as well as to the religious station Radio Maryja. All three stations currently are heard nationwide on FM. The six other slots could go to other regional or local broadcasters, or to new players in the industry.
Polskie Radio currently operates DAB+ multiplexes reaching about 67 percent of the nation’s population, although it aims to expand this to 80 percent of the population in early 2022. The three slots on the new national multiplex could expand the reach of existing Polskie Radio programs or could be used for new services, according to wirtualnemedia.pl.
