European Vision for Radio Digitization

Excerpt

The radio in cars becomes digital. Following its adoption by the European Council, the European Electronic Communications Code (EECC) directive was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) on December 17, 2018 and entered into force on December 20, 2018. As stated in the OJEU, any car radio receiver integrated in a new vehicle of category M has to be capable of receiving and reproducing at least radio services provided via digital terrestrial radio broadcasting - in addition to any FM or AM function which manufacturers may also want to include. This refers to vehicles offered for sale or hire in the EU from two years after this date of entry into force. Such digital receivers have to comply with the requirements of the harmonized standards. The references of these standards have also been published in the OJEU. This code ensures that millions of car drivers across the European Union will have access to the various benefits presented by digital terrestrial radio - including an increased number of radio stations to choose from, more consistent audio quality and enhanced data services. In Europe, the most common form of digital terrestrial radio is DAB/DAB+. DAB+ is now recognized, at a pan-European level, as the core platform for radio. Applied equally to EU member states with established DAB+ markets as well as those in the earlier stages of development, the code will provide a strong impulse to the adoption of DAB+ in passenger cars across the EU. …