Digital radio gets a second platform

The Federal Council intends to establish a second digital platform based on T-DAB technology in German-speaking Switzerland, which will be open primarily to private providers of new regional language programs, but also to SRG SSR. The public tender for the licenses is expected to take place this summer. Subsequently, the expansion of a second digital radio platform is also planned for French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino. SRG SSR already offers an initial T-DAB program package in large parts of Switzerland. With regard to the analog broadcast of radio programs via FM, the Federal Council is not making any radical changes to its course. It believes that analog FM broadcast technology will continue to dominate in the coming years. It therefore rejects a far-reaching technical redesign, as this would only make room for a few new stations. According to the press release, there are promising prospects for digitization in the medium term. The Federal Council has instructed the planning authority to refrain from taking any measures that could hinder a potential future technological leap. The Federal Council’s decisions were based on studies and analyses of the future of Switzerland’s radio landscape, as well as on the results of a needs assessment that OFCOM conducted last year among stakeholders in the media sector. The press release goes on to state that the course of action taken is supported by the overwhelming majority of the groups consulted.