BRUSSELS, Belgium� As werecently reportedin the virtual pages of Digital Radio Update,European government ministries, car manufacturers and the radio industry gathered in Brussels last month to push for further adoption of DAB digital radio in the car.
At WorldDAB�s Drive to Digital � Europe event, government officials from Germany, the UK, and the Netherlands were joined by the French media regulator and senior representatives from the broadcast and automotive industries in calling for a European vision for DAB digital radio.
Let�s take a look at a couple of recent news pieces that describe just how well in-car digital radio has progressed to this point around the European continent.�
Lalettre.proreports that in Norway, 63% of new cars come with DAB / DAB + as standard equipment; that figure is 77% in Britain and 65% in Switzerland.
In the Netherlands, the number of new cars that come with a DAB + radio rose sharply in 2015; over 16% of new cars came with a receiver for digital terrestrial radio. In 2014 it was just over 6%; in 2013, the count was 3%. According toradio.nlabout 77,000 out of 450,000 new cars came from the factory with digital radios in 2015.�
In Switzerland, there has been debate as to whether or not digital radio is even needed, since mobile network technology continues to gain ground. This debate seems to have settled, according to srgd.ch. According tothis article �Both technologies are equally needed. Depending upon the location, network and device, they (digital radio and internet) complement each other perfectly. Hybrid radios that combine both types of reception will be the mobile companion of the future.�
The need for a successor to FM is undisputed, the potential of the internet notwithstanding.� Over-the-air transmission remains critical for dissemination of reliable information in times of disaster or crisis.� �…IP distribution for local broadcasters carries substantial risks,� the same article goes on to say. �They (the broadcasters) have no control over what happens to their stream…while broadcasting with DAB+, the thread remains in their hand and their distribution costs do not depend, as with IP, on the number of listeners…�
