South African DRM group relaunches to facilitate progress in radio digitisation

The Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) Consortium announces the relaunch of the South African DRM Group on March 24th during an Update and Launch virtual event.

The evaluation and demonstration of the various digital audio broadcasting standards started in South Africa over 20 years ago.

In 2014 the DRM Consortium established a Southern Africa Platform led by the Managing Director of Radio Pulpit, as this community station took the initiative and conducted a successful DRM for AM (mediumwave) trial.

This was followed by the successful DRM in FM trial of Kofifi FM 97.2 by Wecodec, a community radio station in Westbury/Johannesburg supported by South African organisations and Consortium members. The trial report has been accepted as an ITU document to be published imminently.

In 2020 great progress was made when the South African government issued its radio digitisation policy direction announcing DRM and DAB+ as its preferred digital sound broadcasting (DSB) standards. A draft licensing framework was issued for public comment by the SA regulator (ICASA) in November 2020. The SA DRM group is ready to support ICASA in establishing digitised radio by making best use of spectrum, infrastructure and applications.

The relaunched SA DRM group has the big task of advocating the use of DRM as the preferred standard in the country and industry so that the entire South African population can benefit from the great advantages of the standard.   There is still a need for universal access to information and education to each citizen, including the 11 million disabled people; a thirst for connection and betterment; and the necessity for job creation, especially amongst the youth.

The next stage for the industry is the implementation of digital radio. The SA DRM group will be the credible authority that will create awareness of DRM to the general public, stakeholders, suppliers, manufacturers, automotive, retailers and all government entities.

Having opted for a two-standard solution, South Africa has the historic chance to lead the way in radio digitisation, becoming an example and an exporter to the whole continent and the world.

The DRM Consortium is very supportive of the SA DRM group and, as the DRM Chairman, Ruxandra Obreja, noted: "this is a great moment for the rollout of radio digitisation in South Africa and we have faith and great hopes of the work of all the SA DRM group members and supporters, all those who want DRM to flourish and meet the needs of all South Africans. The relaunched SA DRM group will build and improve on previous successes and will give the country a lasting legacy. We wish all the members lots of success!"

The South African DRM Group will join the ranks of other DRM national platforms (in Germany, India, Brazil) engaged in pushing the rollout of the DRM standard across not only the BRICS countries but also the whole world. The relaunched SA DRM Group is led by a strong interim Board comprising of learned and experienced business people from the radio sector.

For more information on DRM and how to get involved in the work of the DRM please go to: www.drm.org or contact us on: projectoffice@drm.org

(Press Release)

New Digital Radio Mondiale™ (DRM) Platform for Southern Africa Launched

The DRM Consortium is expanding its activities with the launch of a new DRM Platform in Southern Africa. The objectives of the DRM Consortium's Southern Africa DRM Platform, a voluntary group without financial aims, are to coordinate the various industry stakeholders in the countries of Southern Africa interested in DRM, to stimulate the introduction and roll-out of DRM broadcasts and to demonstrate a business case for producing and selling DRM radio sets or auxiliary devices.

 

The DRM Platform in Southern Africa joins thus the Indian, Brazilian, German and other DRM national platforms working together with the DRM Consortium but using national knowledge and expertise.

 

The launch of the Southern Africa DRM Platform is scheduled on June 25th June and will be followed a week later by the beginning of the first DRM medium wave trial (by Radio Pulpit) in South Africa.

 

Dr Roelf Petersen of Radio Pulpit, the Chairman of the new Platform says: "My role will be to coordinate the strength of all the African parties involved, in order to ensure that the great potential of the DRM technology becomes a practical reality for serving the peoples of Southern Africa."

 

The DRM Consortium has already been present in Southern Africa, recently attending a well-attended SABA Digital Radio Broadcasting Summit in Cape Town, and being part of other SABA events in Johannesburg and in Arusha (Tanzania) last year.

 

"The DRM global standard can be used in all radio frequency bands and is ideal for the large countries of Southern Africa", stresses Ruxandra Obreja, DRM Chairman. "From national networks and regional stations to smaller commercial and community stations, all would be able to broadcast their digital radio programmes with enhanced content and in excellent sound quality to everyone in their respective countries. DRM is an ideal African digital solution and we have high hopes of the activity of the newly created DRM Southern Africa Platform, now open to all those interested."

 

The DRM Consortium's Southern Africa DRM Platform will be a facilitator and an intermediary and to be part of it please write initially to projectoffice@drm.org

(DRM Consortium Press Release)