New Automatic Safety Alerts (ASA) mean “lives will be saved as a result”, WorldDAB President Jacqueline Bierhorst said at the IBC Show in Amsterdam.
The new technology aims to protect the public during emergencies by delivering safety alerts without requiring an internet connection.
The first roll-out of the ASA system will be in Germany, where many partners including public and private radio broadcasters such as ARD and Deutschlandradio, network providers, safety authorities and Fraunhofer IIS have come together.
WorldDAB’s conference session at the annual content and technology show, which attracts over 45,000 delegates from 170 countries to the Netherlands, also heard from the Chair of its Technical Committee, Lindsay Cornell.
He announced that the international ETSI specifications – the official standards underpinning the ASA system – have now been approved and published, marking the successful completion of the technical work.
Cornell emphasised that ASA gives broadcasters editorial control over the area in which receivers will respond to alerts, a key differentiator from existing emergency warning provisions. Cornell also showed a development receiver from Frontier Smart Technologies which had been used in the “Warntag” tests.
The importance of these innovations was underlined by Matthieu Rawolle from the EBU, who presented data from its “Radio in Times of Crisis” report.
“The impact of natural disasters in Europe is increasing. Terrestrial distribution of radio including DAB+ has shown resilience in extreme situations. It’s a key pillar in times of crisis,” he said. Rawolle also highlighted that radio devices are ubiquitous, portable, easy to use, reliable and innovative.
“It’s essential for radio to preserve its strengths while continuing to innovate,” he added.
The global growth of DAB+ was also featured at the IBC event. Xavi Redon Hernandez of network provider Cellnex Telecom detailed the rollout of DAB+ in Spain in partnership with public broadcaster RTVE.
12 sites are already broadcasting DAB+ in Spain, with more to come by the end of the year.
“DAB+ is the best way to have good quality radio, a trusted public service, that is open to all, and fully digital radio,” Hernandez said, adding “DAB+ is the most efficient way to deliver linear digital radio, and it’s ready.”
Meanwhile Denis Nikola Kulišić from Croatia’s OIV explained the company started a trial of DAB+ in 2017 with four sites, and by 2022 had extended the network to 27 permanent locations. Kulišic announced it was further expanding DAB+ coverage.
“As we speak, we have started a new extension, with an additional nine new transmitting locations, with better coverage of highways and state roads as a main target,” he explained. A
new marketing campaign to raise awareness about the platform and popularisation of digital radio is also planned later this year, Kulišić added.
Many of these topics will be explored in more detail at WorldDAB Summit 2024, to be held in Zagreb on 14 November. Registration is now open via the WorldDAB website.