Digital Radio To Launch In Australia In 2009

Australian radio industry group Commercial Radio Australia is planning a commercial trial of digital radio next year in preparation for the government-mandated start date of January 1st, 2009 for the technology in Australia. It’s aiming for phones as the main receiver for the signal, and “instead of broadcasting music only, radio stations will be able to broadcast data such as images, artist and track data, news headlines, weather and competitions” notes Australia IT. The service will use DAB technology with the mobile application developed by Cambridge-based The Technology Partnership (TTP), and broadcast software developed by All In Media (AIM), in collaboration with Australian radio broadcasters. The handset used will be the Lobster, star of the ill-fated Virgin TV DAB effort in the UK. At a conference in Melbourne, Australia in which the service is on display Dominic Strowbridge (a former executive of BT (NYSE: BT) Movio) said that in the UK digital radio was a vital part of the mobile TV model. A survey of mobile TV users in the UK found that 38 percent of all those surveyed (and 46 percent of the 16-24 age group) said they listened to digital radio via their mobile daily, and of those who used it 43 percent said they used it for an hour or more each session. (release)