Formulating a digital radio broadcast policy for broadcasters

Now licensed to transmit programmes in the FM frequency band

IH News Desk

NATIONAL, September 30, 2024: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recently released a Consultation Paper on "Formulating a Digital Radio Broadcast Policy for Private Radio Broadcasters." Currently analogue terrestrial radio broadcasting in India is carried out in the Medium Wave (MW), Short Wave (SW), and VHF-II spectrum bands.

All India Radio (AIR) provides radio broadcasting services in these bands; private sector radio broadcasters are only licensed to transmit programmes in the FM frequency band. However, digital radio broadcasting offers numerous advantages over analogue radio broadcasting, such as the ability to broadcast three to four channels on a single frequency carrier and ensure excellent audio quality.

In fact, AIR has already taken steps towards digitizing its analogue MW and SW radio broadcast network and has even conducted trials for digital radio technologies in the FM band. The Authority has recommended bringing all stakeholders - including radio broadcasters, transmission equipment manufacturers and digital radio receiver manufacturers - together to develop an ecosystem for digital radio broadcasting.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has also requested TRAI's recommendations on formulating a digital radio broadcast policy for private radio broadcasters, specifically highlighting any issues that may need to be reevaluated in order to accommodate technology shifts. Interested parties are invited to submit written comments on the consultation paper by October 28 and counter comments may be submitted by November 11 2024.

Comments and counter-comments to be emailed at advbcs-2[at]trai[dot]gov[dot]in and jtadvbcs-1[at]trai[dot]gov[dot]in .

TRAI / All India Radio / MW and SW /

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