Preface

The process of adopting and deploying a new digital radio standard is complex and includes wide-ranging activities and stakeholders. In this document, we view the overall goal of rolling out DAB digital radio as a set of interacting processes to allow stakeholders to better understand the complexities of the activities which are required. We intend this guide to be primarily used as an introduction to the overall process but which can also be referred to for later reference. It is suitable for both new adopters in countries wishing to implement DAB+ digital radio as well as for countries which have already started the process.

The overall adoption process includes several sub-processes which cover education and demonstrations, business case, regulation, network planning and design, and rollout, each of which also has its own set of processes and activities, many of which are interlinked and have strong dependencies. This document provides guidance and examples to all stakeholders in the radio ecosystem, including:

• Broadcasters and content producers where we show the benefits of using DAB+ digital radio technology in terms of business case and technical capabilities;

• Regulators in terms of possible ways to introduce DAB+ to provide efficient use of spectrum and ways to license DAB+ radio aspects such as spectrum ownership, content, equipment and transmissions;

• Network and transmission engineers and organisations in terms of the activities which need to be undertaken to design, deploy and operate DAB+ systems;

• Commercial and marketing organisations and individuals in terms of educating the ecosystem, including broadcasters and the public, provision of receivers in domestic and automotive settings, the development of new content and the ongoing operation of DAB systems.

While this e-book covers many of the technical aspects of designing and implementing DAB+ networks and systems, it also covers the most important aspect of stakeholder communications and interaction and the business case, with emphasis on the vision required by industry champions to ensure success.

This e-book contains input from many leading industry experts through both contributions as well as feedback, guidance and many discussions. We thank them all for their hard work in the DAB world and for providing their expertise and guidance to future champions.