UK media regulator Ofcom announced that it is testing a new technology that could make digital broadcasting more financially feasible for small radio stations. Senior Ofcom engineer Rashid Mustapha developed the new system, currently dubbed “small scale DAB,” based on freely available software rather than the expensive hardware of current DAB systems. It was the subject of an initial test back in 2012, and the new trials will let new digital radio services broadcast to local areas.
“The trials being announced today are the next step in potentially helping hundreds of small stations to start broadcasting on digital radio,” Mustapha said. The tests are expected to last nine months.
A survey from WorldDMB earlier this year included DAB and DAB+ adoption rates in the UK as well as other nations. 61% of new cars in the UK have DAB as standard, with 3,700 kilometers of first level road coverage.