Digital radio in France is 'inevitable'

Dominique Baudis, President of the French regulatory authority, CSA, told delegates at a conference in Paris this week that there is a clear consensus in France for digital radio, adding that the current discussion is not about whether to proceed with digital radio, but how.

M Baudis was speaking at the opening of Le Radio, a major event for radio in France. With a legislative framework for digital radio in place since July 2004, the CSA launched a consultation in 2005 to which it received 50 responses from the French media industry. All were positive on the need for France to embrace a digital radio future.

Although the digital radio debate in France is still open, the CSA is committed to moving forward quickly, with M Baudis saying “the future of radio is digital.” From the public consultation, the CSA has identified four possible routes to digital including on-carrier digitisation of FM and AM; dedicated digital radio networks in new bands such as Band III and, possibly, L Band; hybrid digital terrestrial/satellite radio; and digital radio on any other platforms, such as the DTT network. M Baudis emphasised that these routes are
not mutually exclusive: “There are different ways to go into the digital era, but they can be seen as complementary,”

France is in the process of reshuffling its FM band, a big issue for radio in France. This reshuffle is designed to reallocate existing licences and, possibly, free up spectrum for new analogue radio stations. The process will result in a maximum of just 10% additional spectrum being freed for new services, which means the only option for many broadcasters to expand their portfolio of stations is via a digital platform.

The next step for digital radio in France is to look at the potential for Band III digital radio broadcasting, and to consider the different routes to digital as outlined in the responses to the consultation. There will then be a call for
tender and many broadcasters expect this to take place before the end of 2006. M Baudis confirmed that, as with DTT in France, the CSA will not require a unanimous consensus on technology. The regulator is keen to push forward with digital radio and the call for tender could be launched even without consensus with “the same determination” that drove France’s successful DTT launch in
2005.

Short term temporary trial licences for digital broadcasting have already been awarded by the CSA. These licences allow broadcasters to experiment with digital radio technology and are expected to run until the summer. A DAB/DMB multiplex run by VDL with two video (TF1 and LCI) and two audio services (Europe 1 and Europe 2) has been on air in Paris since October 2005. There are two other DAB multiplexes in Paris, along with a special VDL run multiplex broadcasting four DAB audio services and one DMB service on air this week for the Le Radio event.

Quentin Howard, President of the WorldDAB Forum, says: “France is a major market for digital radio and it is good to see such positive signals coming from the legislator. We look forward to France taking the next steps towards roll out of digital radio services as the year progresses.”

At Le Radio, on the VDL and WorldDAB/VRN stands, the latest DAB/DMB devices were demonstrated. Of particular interest were DMB products which are already commercially available in Korea. Such market-ready products, that receive video as well as audio and data services, are evidence of a maturing market. A range of DAB audio products for sale in DAB markets worldwide at prices starting as low as 50 EUR were also on display.

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