Ten years after

Preparations for the market introduction of DAB digital radio have been underway in Europe for more than ten years. Although setting up the transmitter network proceeded rapidly in most countries of western and central Europe, sales figures in the receiver market were initially modest. In the UK, sales came up to speed starting in late 2002, and recently there are increasing signs that an upturn could also occur on the Continent.Actually, the strategists and technical specialists in the European radio broadcasting industry all agree that the analogue systems used for FM broadcasting (not to mention medium-wave broadcasting) are technically outdated. Reception quality is not ideal, and the available frequencies are insufficient to meet the demand.