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Norway preparing to switch off FM in 2017

By | Published on Tuesday 21 April 2015

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Bad news for fans of frequency modulation. Well, mainly Norwegian fans of frequency modulation. But you know, once the Norwegians kick FM into the history books, that could start a trend.

So yes, Norway is set to become the first country in the world to switch off analogue radio broadcasts forcing everyone onto digital radio channels. The last FM transmitters in the country are set to be switched off in December 2017.

And given that research suggests that nearly half of all radio listeners in the country tune into FM each day, 45% don’t own a digital radio set, and 80% of cars still only have analogue radio receivers, that creates something of a challenge for the Norwegian radio sector.

Though, as those who have followed the long drawn out debate about if and when to switch off FM in the UK will know, some reckon that a fixed imminent deadline is needed to force a big shift from analogue to digital, otherwise gradual shift could take decades. Car makers, for starters, are only likely to start putting digital radios in all their vehicles by default once they know AM/FM is definitely disappearing. And, arguably, it was an unmovable impending deadline that forced everyone to switch to digital TV.

Of course, in the UK the radio industry is divided on whether FM needs to be switched off at all, with some arguing that it’s the digital radio network that is unnecessary, and that stations should focus on the growth of internet-based channels while keeping FM as back-up. Though officially the government is still set on shifting everyone from FM to DAB eventually. It’s just no one over here is keen on setting (or sticking to) deadlines.

But it will be interesting to see if Norway switching off FM – and providing a case study as to the pros and cons of a speedy forced switchover – persuades governments elsewhere to do likewise. For radio stations the benefit of switchover is not having to pay to broadcast the same services on two networks, while government gets to sell off the FM frequencies to tel cos, who say they could then provide better mobile networks, especially in remote areas.



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