SA to trial digital radio
21 August 2013
News
Over 200 radio industry representatives came together in July to discuss plans for a South African trial of digital radio broadcasts, using the DAB+ standard. The trial is scheduled to run for a year starting from February 2014 and will primarily cover the Johannesburg and Pretoria areas.
Delegates attending the workshop included representatives from the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, the Department of Communications, public and commercial broadcasters, policy makers, network operator Sentech, device and automotive manufacturers. The event was endorsed by the National Association of Broadcasters, the Southern African Digital Broadcasting Association and South African Broadcasting Corporation.
Digital radio broadcasts are in no way related to digital television (DTV) and the trial will take place irrespective of what happens regarding the oft-delayed switchover to DTV signals. There is also no deadline for a switch to digital radio; this trial is intended purely to serve as an opportunity for broadcasters and other stakeholders to come to terms with the technology and its capabilities.
According to Dave Cherry, technical manager at Classic FM and the man chairing the DAB+ trial task group, the technology provides several advantages over frequency modulated (FM) broadcasts, such as data capabilities which can be used for advertising, educational services, traffic information and many more. It also takes advantage of multiple signal paths and reflections to provide better reception in so-called ‘urban canyons’.
DAB+ and its predecessor, DAB, are already in use in several European countries and DAB+ is strongly entrenched in Australia, with many more countries planning trials in the coming years. It is seen as one of the leading digital standards poised to succeed the increasingly congested FM bands in many developed countries.
South Africa’s initial one-year trial will not be marketed to consumers but those with a DAB+ receiver in the Gauteng area will be able to pick up the signals over the trial period. Sentech has committed to transmit the DAB+ signals free of charge and twenty or more broadcasters, including the major national stations and community broadcasters, are expected to take part.
Further reading:
Vicor Powering Innovation podcast
News
The episode explores electrification with Lightning Motorcycles, a company that produces the fastest electric motorcycle on the planet.
Read more...
ModusToolbox Workshop 3
News
This workshop will focus on enabling a PSoC development kit, connected over Wi-Fi and leveraging MQTT, to create the framework of an IoT application.
Read more...
Indium celebrates 90 years of innovation
Techmet
News
The company’s innovative products, especially its advanced soldering solutions, are found in many common consumer electronics and high-reliability technologies.
Read more...
Revamped technical training centre in Welkom
News
Resolution Circle has announced the launch of its newly revamped training centre in Welkom, which will enhance technical education and foster industry partnerships.
Read more...
From the editor's desk: Funga: The unseen rulers of a new kingdom
Technews Publishing
News
Up until a few weeks ago, our classification kingdoms were split into two parts; fauna and flora. I was amazed when I recently read that National Geographic has now changed this and has split the classification
...
Read more...
Hiconnex announces new partnership
Hiconnex
News
With over 60 years of experience in the civil, military aeronautics, and space industries, Petercem offers robust solutions for position detection and human machine interfaces.
Read more...
Global semiconductor sales increase YoY
News
The Semiconductor Industry Alliance (SIA) has announced global semiconductor sales totalled $47,6 billion during the month of January, an increase of 15,2% compared to January 2023.
Read more...
Utility-scale solar development for local company
News
Teraco has announced that it has secured its first grid capacity allocation from Eskom, and will commence construction of a 120 MW utility-scale solar PV energy facility in the Free State province.
Read more...
Collab between Arrow and Infineon
Altron Arrow
News
Arrow Electronics, represented by Altron Arrow in South Africa, and its engineering services company, eInfochips, are working with Infineon Technologies to help eInfochip’s customers accelerate the development of EV chargers.
Read more...
Printing as a subscription
News
HP has done the unthinkable and released its All-In Plan, a subscription-based printing solution that has many IT professionals and business users shaking their heads.
Read more...
printer friendly version