DAB+ accelerates in France
June 19, 2018
After Paris, Marseille and Nice, DAB+ is now available in Lille and in the Hauts-de-France region with the launch of 51 stations. On-air radio is continuing its transition to digital, as part of the trend in Europe. This is an ambitious national deployment plan being driven by the Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel (CSA – Superior Council of the Audiovisual).
The CSA’s strategy, known as the ‘nodes and arcs plan’, will make DAB+ accessible to 70 per cent of the French population by 2020. In three years, the large conurbations (the ‘nodes’) and the main road arteries (the ‘arcs’) will be covered.
In the next few months, the deployment of DAB+ will continue in Alsace, Rhône-Alpes, Normandy, Brittany, Gironde and Occitanie. Moreover, a multi-regional call for candidatures covering fifteen zones and a national call for candidatures will be launched shortly.
Nicolas Curien (Advisor to the CSA, President of the Radio Working Group) said: “The launch of DAB+ in Lille and in Hauts-de-France is both an opportunity for the region and a promise of success for the ambitious deployment plan 2018-2020 laid down by the CSA roadmap. Radio will be richer for the benefits brought by digital.”