Frontier Silicon welcomes the passing into law of the UK Digital Economy Bill paving the way for digital radio switchover
London - 9th April 2010: Today the UK government passed the Digital Economy Bill into law giving them the support and authority it needs to progress digital radio switchover. The bill includes six sections on radio which enables the migration from analogue to digital-only transmissions for national and larger local services.
The Digital Economy Bill is linked to the government’s Digital Britain report which defines a digital radio switchover plan lasting two years. The migration start date for this is triggered when DAB coverage reaches the same as today’s FM and when 50% of all radio listening is via a digital platform. Based on current digital listening projections from Rajar, and the roll out of new DAB transmitters from Arqiva and the BBC, the UK market is set to achieve both of these milestone in 2013 meaning the switchover program could conclude as early as 2015.
Anthony Sethill, CEO of Frontier Silicon said: “The passing of the Digital Economy Bill into law is great news for receiver manufacturers. It provides the industry with the confidence it needs to increase investment in digital radio products across all sectors of the market including home, portable and in-car, ensuring the widest possible availability of good quality, affordable radios”.
Frontier Silicon is the leading supplier of DAB, DAB+ and DMB-Radio receiver technology and will be demonstrating its latest solutions at next week’s Hong Kong Electronics Fair.
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About the radio sections of the Digital Economy Act
Section 29 – allows a date for switchover to be set (Government has said this will only happen when agreed coverage and listening criteria have been met).
Sections 30 and 31 – grant licence renewals to local and national analogue stations also broadcasting on digital to facilitate investment in digital radio.
Section 32 – gives Government the power to withdraw those renewals.
Section 33 – gives greater operational freedom for local Commercial Radio stations.
Section 34 – gives Ofcom the flexibility to re-plan local multiplex licences and extend the coverage area of Digital One, the national commercial multiplex.
Section 35 – allows a new piece of (secondary) legislation to be brought forward to extend multiplex licences.
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