The end of the FM “seems essential” but it is “premature to set a date today” even if 2033 is a desirable deadline, he continued, pleading for a “pragmatic approach” and progressive. In recent years, the radio sector has been working on the transition from traditional analogue terrestrial broadcasting (FM) to digital terrestrial broadcasting (a technology called DAB +), as television did with DTT.
Equipment to acquire
At the same time, the other mode of listening is that which is done via the Internet (20% currently compared to 80% for terrestrial according to Arcom). When FM disappears, radio will switch to all-digital, DAB + on the one hand and Internet on the other. Largely ignored by the general public, this issue is crucial for the sector. DAB + offers better sound quality with lower transmission costs than FM, no longer requires knowing the frequency of a radio to listen to it and allows you to stay on the same station, without crackling or interruption, when a long car ride.
This assumes that DAB+ correctly covers the territory (62% of the population is currently covered) and that the French equip themselves with radios and car radios capable of receiving it. Arcom sets the objective of an equipment rate of 70% at the end of 2033. Its white paper proposes a transition in two phases: one of “preparation” between 2024 and 2027, the other of “migration” between 2028 and 2033. In this context, the regulator recommends in particular “adapting” the rules for quotas for French-speaking songs broadcast on the radio.
