The first smartphone equipped with built-in DAB+ radio was announced at Radiodays Europe 2016. LG Electronics introduced this feature for its new mobile device, the LG Stylus 2. The phone comes equipped with a DAB+ chipset and built-in app for listening to digital broadcasts. It will roll out later in 2016 in Australia, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway and the UK.
“We are taking a proactive approach towards the fast-paced technological shift to digital broadcasting with DAB+ to deliver a new paradigm of experiences through the smartphone,” said Juno Cho, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company.
DAB+ audience in Australia’s capital cities had clocked in at 3.2 million in a November report. The European Broadcasting Union also issued a report on digital radio transitions in Europe, pointing to several countries where the shift is nearly complete.