3. DAB adoption overview

3.1. The process

DAB adoption is a process for the formal adoption and establishment of DAB+ digital broadcast radio. It has seven distinct phases, which have some overlap and often significant interaction. DAB+ adoption requires a broad range of skills in a multidisciplinary team environment. The key to success is collaboration between stakeholders and the different teams which all help deliver the process, including technical research, system design and construction engineering, content development and production, product provisioning for both infrastructure and receivers, regulators and legislators, marketing, management and finance.

The seven phases can be summarised as follows:

1. Initial investigations and research

• Gain a good understanding of what DAB+ digital radio provides in terms of content delivery, features, business case, design and construction (theory);

• Ongoing education and research as the process unfolds.

2. Demonstrations

• Experiment with DAB+ transmissions to get hands-on experience to improve understanding and expand knowledge for system planning and design and to allow stakeholders to experience DAB+ digital radio in familiar surroundings;

• Can also be used as a pre-permanent service to help establish an initial listener base.

3. Formal adoption

• Across the radio ecosystem, agree the conditions for the successful establishment of DAB+ and the supporting business case;

• Through stakeholder discussions, establish DAB+ as an approved and formally legislated digital radio broadcasting standard.

4. Requirements and allotment planning

• Service requirements – how many services should be provided in each area;

• Coverage requirements – what field strengths are required to deliver content in each area;

• Allotment planning – what frequency blocks are assigned to each area.

5. System planning and design

• Plan the DAB+ network – services, assignments, coverage and interference

• Design the system needed to deliver the services, including: i. Transmission systems; ii. Multiplexing systems; iii. Contribution and distribution networks; iv. Operations and monitoring.

6. Rollout

• Construct the DAB system from studio to transmission sites;

• Developing additional content;

• Receiver provisioning – home/portable and automotive;

• Initial marketing.

7. Operations

• Technical systems operations and maintenance;

• Content production, including audio and metadata;

• Ongoing marketing;

• Ongoing cross-industry support.

8. Analogue

switch-off (ASO)

Through cross-industry stakeholder discussions, establish a methodology to transition to DAB+ and switch off analogue radio systems.

The overall timeline is summarised in the Gantt chart in Figure 3-1. The period for the full process for Norway, which achieved ASO in 2017, was 22 years from first involvement in the standards development process and initial transmissions in 1995.

Today, that process can be shortened due to the maturity of the DAB+ standard and the availability of low-cost infrastructure and receiver products. The overall process is, however, quite typical of the introduction and adoption of a new digital technology, whether it be radio, television or mobile telecommunications systems.

The period spent in each phase will vary depending on the stakeholders’ appetite to move forward. In some countries, the early stages of adoption move forward very quickly. Some have extended periods of demonstrations while the formal adoption legislation is debated, and some countries may start the rollout with major population centres before proceeding to lower population areas.

One of the most important aspects of the overall process is the vision of the driving stakeholders and their long-term belief in the benefits of DAB+ to society and business.

Norway is again a good example where the stakeholders were faced with either refreshing a very large fleet of FM transmitters or moving the entire country to digital radio. Their leadership was visionary, and they now enjoy significant improvements in the overall radio ecosystem with much more content availability, lower operating costs and the ability to incrementally add new digital features to ensure the ongoing viability of the broadcast radio medium.