Ofcom postpones radio switch-off

Ofcom has put its plans to end FM and AM radio transmissions on the back burner.

The regulator had planned to switch off analogue (FM and AM) radio by 2009 and 2012, to free up radio spectrum which “could be used for other things, for the benefit of citizens and consumers."

However, since the Digital Radio Working Group was launched last week to look into the benefits and problems posed by DAB radio before any analogue signals are switched off, Ofcom has backtracked on these plans.

It has claimed that it will not “tear up the analogue rulebook” until the group, which is made up of Government, broadcasters, manufacturers, consumers and other stakeholders, decides on the best strategy for digital radio.

The Digital Radio Working Group was set up by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport after the commercial radio group Radiocentre disagreed with Ofcom's proposals. The group will take into consideration the advantages that digital radio will have for consumers and businesses and consider how to tackle the problem of the lack of DAB coverage in some of the UK.

Until the group reports back to Ofcom in 2009 the regulator said it will not put any of its original proposals into practice.

In its Future of radio: the next phase report, the regulator said: “We made a number of suggestions about how consideration of these [digital radio] issues might be taken forward. But in light of the formation of the Digital Radio Working Group it would not be appropriate at this time for Ofcom to develop its own proposals further.”

“Ofcom will play a leading role in the working group,” it added.

Dr Stephen Lax, lecturer in communications technology at the University of Leeds, agreed that more consideration was needed before any analogue signals could be turned off, for a number of reasons.

“The take-up [of DAB] is far, far lower than digital television and there also remain issues about the quality of reception, with some transmission powers needing to be increased to get reliable reception everywhere,” he told Computeractive.

However, those who think that they can get away without buying a digital radio should think again. According to Dr Lax: “Just as analogue TV now has a switch-off date, this is the long-term goal [with analogue radio].”

The switch-off could be as soon as 2015 if the working group recommends that digital is the way forward. To ensure it can move as quickly as possible after this, Ofcom is now granting radio stations that need to renew their analogue licences a five-year licence or one with an expiry date of 31 December 2015, as opposed to the 12-year licenses issued previously.

An Ofcom representative said that this was being done to “tide them over” until the working group had made its decision.

Currently just over 20 per cent of people in the UK live in a household with a DAB radio, with more than 5.5 million sets having been sold by the end of September 2007. Many more listen via digital TV or the internet.