UK media regulator Ofcom today advertises a Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) national radio multiplex licence. The multiplex licence will allow the broadcast of a number of radio services as well as the delivery of other services including mobile television channels. Ofcom says this represents the first step in its DAB licensing program intended to lead to a significant expansion in both local and national digital radio services over the next three years.
The licence award will be made under the Broadcasting Act 1996 which requires Ofcom to consider how each applicant would promote the development of DAB radio in the UK. The frequency for this licence is available initially in the UK and the Isle of Man. The exact coverage of these new services will be determined by the location of the successful applicant’s transmission sites and other technical characteristics. International agreements on frequency use - intended to reduce interference between broadcasts from France, Netherlands, Republic of Ireland and broadcasts from the UK - will mean that, at least initially, some coastal areas in southern and south-eastern England, as well as parts of Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and parts of west Wales, will not be able to receive these services.
The licence will be issued for a twelve-year period. The Government is currently considering whether radio multiplex licences granted after 1 October 2006 should be eligible for renewal when they expire and intends to announce its decision on this matter shortly.
The full details for this licence, including the guidelines and procedures for the submission of applications, can be obtained from the Ofcom website.
on Dec 2nd, 2006 at 17:31
I think it would have been better is Ofcom used the new multiplex to start te switchover to AAC+. Simulcasting all MP2 stations on the BBC national mux and adding a few more at better quality would have been possible. Then after a year or two another multiplex could have been simulcast and so on.