The Government has delayed the announcement of a digital radio switchover date.
An impending shutdown of the analogue channels and transferral to DAB service has been on the cards for several years, but communications minister Ed Vaizey refused to name a date, as had been expected by the end of 2013.
“I am a fan of digital radio and I do think digital radio is the future,” he said, adding that better coverage, cheaper DAB units and more cars fitted with digital radios were necessary before the switch could take place. “Those are the criteria. We will not be pushed into a switchover date. We will not get ahead of radio listeners.”
Vaizey said he hoped 50% of new cars sold in the UK in 2014 would be fitted with DAB radios. Residual value specialists such as Cap have suggested that the technology is a worthwhile investment for fleets, as vehicles lacking digital radios could suffer RV penalties when the switchover eventually takes place.
A number of manufacturers such as BMW, Audi and Volkswagen now fit it as standard across the majority of all of their respective ranges.