Frontier Silicon, the leading supplier of DAB radio chips, announced the initiation of a $10m investment in a new advanced chip for digital radios. The technology, known as Chorus 3, delivers an ultra low-cost and lower-power device that will help drive the successful migration to DAB digital radio over the course of the next ten years.

This investment builds on the constructive proposals contained in last week's interim Digital Britain report, including the Government's endorsement of the digital migration of radio and commitment to DAB as the primary distribution network for future radio broadcasting.

With a 50 per cent saving on cost and a 50 per cent saving on power consumption, the chip is a greener form of technology and the first of its kind to support all types of DAB radio, which means that it is particularly suited to the car industry's plan for pan-European design. The company, which supplies the technology for the majority of digital radios sold in Britain, anticipates that the new chip will be shipping to receiver manufacturers by early 2010.

Anthony Sethill, Chief Executive of Frontier Silicon, said: "The cost structure and performance of the new DAB chip will assist the Government's aim to achieve the necessary criteria for a digital migration of radio by 2015. We now look forward to harnessing the success of this advanced DAB technology as we develop a concrete Digital Migration Plan with the Digital Radio Delivery Group."

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