ITU Endorses IBOC For AM

The International Telecommunication Union, a global standards-setting body, has approved iBiquity Digital’s IBOC DAB system as an ITU standard for digital broadcasting in the radio bands below 30 MHz. The ITU’s approval is the organization’s formal adoption of the draft recommendation it issued in October 2000, which endorsed iBiquity Digital’s IBOC system for countries considering implementation of a digital broadcasting system in the AM band and other bands below 30 MHz.
“Broadcasters in the United States and abroad look to the ITU for guidance and the organization’s endorsement of our technology establishes IBOC as a viable option for digital broadcasting, particularly in those countries where spectrum is scarce,” said iBiquity President/CEO Robert Struble.
“The ITU has approved our AM system and is expected to recommend our FM system later this year. The test program we are conducting based on criteria set by the NRSC, an independent test body for the radio broadcast and consumer electronics’ industries, is well underway, and we expect the results to be submitted to the FCC this fall,” said Al Shuldiner, iBiquity VP/General Counsel, and the company’s representative at ITU meetings. “With these developments, we are now well poised for approval of our IBOC technology by the FCC later this year or early next year.”