Η Νορβηγία is preparing to shut down analog FM radio in 2017. The Norwegian Ministry of Culture will finalize the date this week.
The closure of Radio.no makes Norway the first country to stop it completely FM radio. The country plans to move to Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) and will also define it as a national standard.
A statement released this week by the Ministry of Culture confirms a switch-off date proposed by the Norwegian government in 2011. The government has concluded that the country meets all the necessary conditions for a smooth transition to digital technology.
“Listeners will have access to more stations with much more diversity content, and they will enjoy quality and better sound,” said Culture Minister Thorhild Widvey. "Digitalization will significantly improve the emergency preparedness system, facilitate increased competition and offer new opportunities for innovation and growth."
DAB currently offers 22 national channels, unlike the FM that had five, and has the ability to host 20 more. The cost of broadcasting FM radio stations is also eight times higher than the cost of broadcasting the DAB, according to Ministry studies.
The DAB system is available in Norway by 1995. DAB +, the updated form of DAB, was distributed to 2007. According to the Ministry of Culture, the choice between the DAB and DAB + broadcasts will be left to the radio stations themselves, although it is likely that up to 2017, most broadcasts in the country will be in DAB +.
The closure of Norway's FM will begin on 11 in January of 2017.
