National DAB+ launched in France
October 13, 2021
By Colin Mann
France has launched two new national multiplexes that will broadcast 25 DAB+ stations, including national services from Radio France and leading private broadcasters, to metropolitan regions in France. The initiative allows millions of people to benefit from a wider range of national and regional radio stations, improved audio quality, station / programme information and slideshow images.
The new multiplexes will broadcast along the Paris-Lyon-Marseille axis. The 25 services include three new DAB+ only stations and 22 stations that are also broadcast in FM. In addition, DAB Slideshow is deployed, displaying colour images to listeners, such as station branding, song information and weather. This will pave the way for DAB+ to become the dominant way that France listens to radio at home.
“The launch of two national multiplexes in France is a critical milestone in the development of DAB – not only for France but for the whole of Europe,” asserted Patrick Hannon, WorldDAB president. “This launch, coupled with the recently introduced French radio receiver law, creates an unprecedented opportunity for growth in the DAB+ receiver market in France. As the market leader in DAB receivers, Frontier is supporting DAB growth in Europe with their Siena and Kino DAB+ receiver solutions,” he added.
Frontier forecasts that growth of DAB+ receiver sales in France will exceed 50 per cent in 2021 when compared to 2020 and that this trend will continue.
“DAB+ is really taking off in France and we are delighted to be able to enable brands to power the growth of DAB+ through our range of exciting consumer radios based on Frontier technology,” declared Prem Rajalingham, Managing Director of Frontier. “We have seen significant DAB receiver sales grow in France and expect to see 50 per cent year on year growth in 2021.”
In addition to new multiplexes, French law was updated to state that since May 28th 2021, radios with an alphanumeric screen must receive digital broadcast radio: “Other radios (terminals), for which the reception function of radio services broadcast is not purely incidental, and have an alphanumeric screen, must be capable of receiving digital terrestrial radio”.