8 Nov 2009

Digital radio in France: T-DMB or not T-DMB?

The question of which digital radio broadcast standard should be adopted in France continues to be an issue of growing concern, even as the proposed launch in 2010 nears. According to l’Humanite, Socialist Party deputy Jean-Marc Ayrault has written to Culture Minister Frederic Mitterand, questioning the risks for local radio owners involved in the Ministry of Culture & Communications choosing a single digital radio standard. According to Ayrault, the decision in 2007 by then Culture Minister Christine Albanel of “T-DMB in Band III as the sole [digital radio] standard is worrying stakeholders more and more of the value to have chosen only one standard between T-DMB and DAB+”. Ayrault noted that tests by local radio groups in Nantes had demonstrated that “the joint implementation of both standards is technically possible”.

L’Humanite commented that “the launch of digital terrestrial radio is being complicated by a real scepticism, almost mistrust, in the notion that it can be started in early 2010”. The Ministry of Culture & Communications is due to present to the government a delayed second report on the proposed rollout of digital radio.

1 comment:

Tony Orwin said...

Not only are ensembles containing DMB and DAB+ services Possible - they have been delivered since 2007! There are NO technical reasons to preclude DAB+ transmissions in France. It is a political decission that was made for a number of reasons - but none of them preclude DAB+ being userd in France!

If any one woudl like further details of the simplicity of carrying out multiple prptocol transmissions in Standard Eureka 147 environments - glad to hear from you.
tony.orwin@tiscali.co.uk

Kindest regards

Tony Orwin