The 2006 Regional Radio Conference, which strongly affects future Band III licensing, has allocated various new channels to UK areas for possible DAB usage.
The list details that block 11A maybe be used for the third national DAB multiplex, and that blocks as low in the band as 5A and 5C will be used for Suffolk and Jersey respectively – two of the many areas traditionally awkward to provide good coverage due to their close proximity to other European nations such as France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Jersey, and the other Channel Islands, have had problems getting any clearance for new digital services due to their area close to France. This has proved even more of a problem for DTT broadcasts and does not yet look any closer to being resolved.
The allocations are as follows – note that Ofcom is only allocated these blocks and may not license all of them:
5A
Suffolk
5C
Jersey
10B
East Surrey
Weymouth and Dorchester
North West Yorkshire
Derbyshire
Kings Lynn and West Norfolk
Hereford and Worcester
Oxon
10C
Salisbury
West Surrey
North Devon
Belfast
North East Yorkshire
West and Mid Wales
Northants
Gloucestershire
North West Regional 2
10D
Plymouth
Heads of the Valleys
South West Scotland
Somerset
Edinburgh 2
Highlands and Islands
Home Counties
North West Wales
Wrexham and Deeside
Lincolnshire
Stratford
North East Regional 2
11A
England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man
The allocation of second multiplex blocks for various regions and Edinburgh is likely to raise some eyebrows, especially given that Ofcom are no further to looking to give licences to many areas that are as-yet uncovered by DAB broadcasts.