Digital radio permanent in Canberra and Darwin – now Hobart is next

Digital radio services are being expanded to all capitals in Australia.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has made trial services in Canberra and Darwin permanent.

Regulatory arrangements have been completed for it to be made available in Hobart. The Gold Coast is expected to begin after.

Digital radio services in the metropolitan areas of Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney began in July 2009.

ACMA says that details of the timing of the start of further permanent digital radio services will be determined once the broadcasters have finalised the arrangements to deploy their new digital radio infrastructure.

“Finalising digital radio channel plans is an important step in completing the capital city roll-out of digital radio,” said acting ACMA Chairman Richard Bean.

“The plans make frequencies available to broadcasters wishing to provide ongoing digital radio services in Canberra, Darwin and Hobart. The ACMA will now commence discussions with the broadcasters about starting the transmitter licence allocation process.”

Talks have also begun as to which regional areas will begin offering digital radio services.

This comes after the Federal Government asked ACMA to start the rollout of digital radio in regional areas where licensees make the commercial decision that they wish to offer the service.

The authority confirmed, “As a result the ACMA is working with industry to identify which regional markets wish to commence services and prioritise planning accordingly.”

Figures released in March by Commercial Radio Australia showed that 3.6 million Australians, or 27% of the population in the five capital cities, listen to digital radio via DAB+ devices each week.

There are now more than 45 extra DAB+ only stations on offer in the five metropolitan capital.

These include targeted formats including talk, news, sport, children’s programming, country, chillout, dance music and short term pop-up stations focused on events or particular seasons.

Projections by PwC showed that nearly 60% of new vehicles sold in Australia in 2021 will be fitted with a digital radio, forecasting nearly double the number of current new vehicles fitted with the technology.

PwC projected that close to 4 million new vehicles fitted with DAB+ will be sold by the end of 2021, up from 862,426 at the end of 2016.