Digital audio broadcasting in Switzerland
This article describes digital audio broadcasting in Switzerland ( DAB for short ).
history
The Federal Council issued on 17 February 1999, the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation , the concession for the construction of a DAB network ( Digital Audio Broadcasting ) in Switzerland . In the same year, the first transmitters went into operation in the greater Bern-Solothurn area. The Interlaken-Bern-Biel, Baden-Zurich-Winterthur regions as well as the Lake Geneva region and the Basel agglomeration followed in 1999 and 2000. Since 2001, DAB has been receivable on the main east-west traffic axes (including the large tunnels) and parts of the north-south axis. At the end of 2009 DAB could be received throughout Switzerland. Between October 15 and 22, 2012, all DAB stations were switched off (apart from three stations that are broadcast simultaneously in DAB and DAB +). The migration to a complete DAB + broadcast was started and completed in 2015.
The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation shines in the four language regions each own program ensemble with nine to eleven stations from - in the canton of Grisons, it is with the exception of two stations exclusively in DAB +. In July 2007 eight private programs were licensed for the second DAB ensemble in German-speaking Switzerland . 18 providers have submitted a license application for this. SRG SSR idée suisse received two additional licenses. A total of 17 channels from SRG SSR idée suisse are activated.
Since October 15, 2009, Swiss Media Cast AG, a company supported by SRG and private radio stations, has been operating its own DAB Plus network in German-speaking Switzerland and parts of Rhaeto-Romanic Switzerland, via which all private radio stations and some SRG stations are broadcast (Layer D02, channel 7D, volume III). Right from the start, these have been DRS 4 News Radio Swiss Classic , Option Musique , Rete Tre , Radio Top Two , Life Channel , Energy Zürich , Radio Eviva , Radio Basel , backstageradio.ch , and Open Broadcast (in test mode). A switch-off scenario for VHF transmitters is planned “in the long term”, but is currently not specifically scheduled. The development shows that one in ten households now has a DAB Plus device. These stations are broadcast over the DAB-Plus network of SMC AG on channel 7D (Band III) throughout German-speaking Switzerland.
At the end of October 2011, the Swiss government decided not to allocate any new VHF frequencies. In addition to the existing VHF licenses, only licenses for DAB + will be awarded. The Federal Council justifies this, among other things, with the already well advanced digitization in Switzerland and the high costs that a VHF conversion to provide new frequencies would result.
Since January 1, 2013, Kanal 7A has been a multiplex in northern Switzerland, which was expanded on September 3, 2013 to include more stations that previously broadcast on Kanal 9A. On November 29th, two third multiplexes went on air. Kanal 9D initially with nine programs and initially two locations in Eastern Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Likewise in Canal 8B with initially two locations and the goal of a comprehensive expansion in the Central Plateau. In the future, all multiplexes will be expanded across the board in their area.
Two regional multiplexes are planned in French-speaking Switzerland, with channels 10B and 10D planned. For 10B there are already licenses for three broadcasters. No regional multiplexes are yet planned in Ticino.
Switching off DAB
Since November 15, 2016, SRG SSR no longer broadcasts on DAB, but only on DAB +. The following changes also took place at the same time:
- The respective third program (SRF 3, Couleur 3, Rete 3) can be received throughout Switzerland.
- SRF 1 is only "regionalized", i. H. broadcast with the respective regional journals; the transmission area of the regional versions has been significantly expanded.
- SRF 4 News is also broadcast in French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland.
- Espace 2 was switched off in German-speaking Switzerland .
- French, Italian and Romansh Switzerland have received some additional SRG-SSR channels from neighboring regions.
Shutdown of VHF
All FM transmitters are to be switched off by the end of 2024 . From then on, radio programs in Switzerland will only be received via DAB +, explained the Vice Director of the Federal Office of Communications in November 2019.
List of DAB multiplexes
See also
Web links
Wikinews: Category: Digital Radio - In The News- Information about DAB in Switzerland at worlddab.org (English)
- worlddab.org - WorldDMB website
- Wohnort.org - DAB Ensembles Worldwide
- digitalradio.ch - DAB in Switzerland
- ukwtv.de - DAB station tables for Central Europe
- ETSI TS 102 818 V1.4.1 (2008-06) - Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB); Digital Radio Mondial (DRM); XML Specification for Electronic Program Guide (EPG) (PDF; 229 kB)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Information on switching to DAB +. (No longer available online.) SR DRS, July 24, 2012, archived from the original on October 2, 2013 ; Retrieved February 10, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ CH / Start of DAB + in German-speaking Switzerland with twelve channels. ( Memento of the original from January 7, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Handelszeitung, October 14, 2009
- ↑ About SwissMediaCast swissmediacast.ch
- ↑ Stephan Munder: October 15, 2009: Digital radio goes live in Switzerland. ( Memento of the original from January 6, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. radiowoche.de, October 14, 2009
- ^ Website digitalradio.ch: Frequently asked questions
- ↑ Program data DAB + Ensemble SMC AG ( Memento of the original from 23 August 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. SRG broadcast
- ↑ Federal Council does not want any further VHF frequencies ( memento of the original from November 4, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. persoenlich.com
- ↑ ukwtv.de
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from July 21, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (accessed on July 21, 2016 / January 22, 2017)
- ↑ https://www.bakom.admin.ch/bakom/de/home/elektronische-medien/technologie/digitale-verbendung/digimig.html
