Norway to become world't first country to shut down FM radio

PanARMENIAN.Net - Norway on Wednesday, January 11 will become the first country in the world to start shutting down its FM radio network in favour of digital radio, a bold move watched closely by other countries around Europe, AFP reports.

Supporters of Digital Audio Broadcasting say DAB offers better sound quality and more channels at an eighth of the cost of FM (frequency modulation) transmission, which was first launched in the US in 1945.

The authorities also say DAB offers better coverage, allows listeners to catch up on programmes they have missed and makes it easier to broadcast emergency messages in times of crisis.

"The big difference and the main reason behind this big technological shift is that we want to offer a better radio service to the whole population," Ole Jorgen Torvmark, the head of Digitalradio Norge, a company owned by public broadcaster NRK and commercial radio station P4.

Norway, generally a technology-friendly country, has been preparing for the switchover for years -- DAB and FM have existed side-by-side since 1995.

There are currently 22 national digital stations, along with around 20 smaller ones. The FM spectrum has room for a maximum of only five national stations.

The big switch-off begins in Nordland, in the country's north, at 11:11 am (1011 GMT) on Wednesday before expanding to the rest of the country by the end of the year, making millions of old radios obsolete.