What is the point of Digital Radio?

One of the most unjust decisions of the last Labour Government was to announce the so-called 'digital switchover', in which analogue radios would be forcibly turned off from 2012. Not only was this a wrong decision - as so many people have analogue radios , but it is also worth asking whether it was necessary on a technological basis.

At present, Digital Radio (DAB) is only used in the UK, and is transmitted only in certain areas. Moreover, FM and AM, seem to have a stronger signal. Admittedly, Digital Radios sets are great in quality, and when it does work, the sound is very effective.

However, with the advance of the Internet, is there any need for Digital Radio at all? More and more people are listening to their radio via their Broadband connection. Even mobile smart phones - Blackberry, IPhone and Android, provide radio via the Internet. In contrast to DAB, internet radio is vast, the signal quality is good, and there are so many more stations to listen too. Recently, I drove to London, with Radio 4 on my phone. Bar a few black spots, the signal quality was pretty fair - especially given that internet radio on phones is a nascent technology.

It seems that DAB was invented by people who under-estimated - or forgot - about the Internet revolution. It is a technology whose time has past. I doubt that there will be many buying DAB radios in the years to come. Instead, they will be listening to radio via the internet through mobile smartphones, or on their home computers/IPads et al.

The simple question is this: Why do people need to have a digital radio, when they can listen to more radio stations via the internet?

P.S. The Coalition Government has suggested that 2015 for full switchover is a 'target' rather than being compulsory - a step in the right direction. You can read more details HERE.

by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com