©Sony
Since 2014, Digital Audio Broadcasting (or DAB) technology has been deployed in many countries. Unlike FM broadcasting, which is analogue, DAB broadcasting is a digital system. To put it simply, DAB is to radio what DTT is to TV. For ten years, the deployment of DAB broadcasting has progressed, and more than 60% of the French population would be covered today.
Towards the end of the FM band ? Yes, but not right away…
Obviously, in the long term, this good old FM band will bow out, in favor of this new DAB standard. However, DAB+ technology has the advantage of being able to coexist with the FM band. Unlike DTT which replaced analogue broadcasting, the two broadcasting methods have coexisted for many years… It remains to be seen how long this will be the case.
© Arcom
Indeed, to benefit from listening via DAB, you must have compatible hardware. Since the end of 2019, all radio receivers sold in France have included DAB+. Since mid-2020, all car radios in new cars sold in France also include DAB+.
A dual FM/DAB broadcast… but until when ?
Don't panic, however, if you have an older vehicle, since certain models, a few years old, also have the precious chip. It is also very likely that you have DAB+ compatible audio equipment, without even knowing it.
© Dab+
On the radio side, while the cost of dual broadcasting (FM/DAB) is not sustainable in the long term, it is impossible to do without the FM band at the moment. According to Arcom, 20 million French people listen to the radio via the DAB network, and just as many enjoy radio via the FM band.
This is the case in Switzerland, however, where the SSR (Swiss Broadcasting Corporation) will no longer broadcast its radio programs in FM as of December 31, 2024, in just a few months. Listeners will then have to turn to DAB+ or the Internet to receive public radio programs. It should be noted that the Federal Council has granted a final reprieve on the FM band for radio stations that wish to do so until 2026. In this way, private radio stations will continue to broadcast via FM for two years.
Remember that radio reception via DAB provides numerous advantages, starting with better quality sound and better listening continuity in the car, the reception quality being significantly more stable than FM broadcasting. For example, in DAB+ mode, there is no need to change frequency from one geographical area to another, to listen to one and the same station. DAB+ also makes it possible to display digital visual data, without forgetting the availability of new stations.
And you, do you listen to the radio via the FM band or via the DAB+ standard ?< /p>
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