Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission says it plans to prioritize digital radio in 2014, according to the Bangkok Post.
The broadcast regulator’s plan requires it to start the digital transition within four years of the medium’s establishment within the country.
The first step will be to test DAB+ digital radio using unallocated frequencies in the VHF bands, doing so in collaboration with government agencies that own radio frequencies. The International Telecommunications Union will serve as the NBTC’s adviser on these projects.
The regulator says it has also discussed the digital transition with automakers.
Current radio frequency owners who are either private companies, civil organizations or government agencies must abdicate of their frequency by 2017, when the Thai government plans to institute a licensing system. Community radio stations have already begun the process of registering with the government.
