DAB banned in Ireland

yes back in 2000.

people expect higher quality audio these days even for talk radio, and of course rte has music programming as well.

No, different radio frequencies, VHF propagates better than the upper-UHF/L/S bands used by mobile operators.

It is relevant, the facts on the ground are:
The BCI/BAI/CnaM (under the Broadcasting Act of 2009) are the only entity that can issue a licence to operate a DAB (or DTT) multiplex here.
They have stated politely that they do not have any current intent to licence DAB or DTT multiplexes now or in the near future, they are keeping it in mind along with other methods including internet based delivery (though that's currently outside their remit)
I know of several individuals who would like to run a DAB multiplex in Ireland at a local, regional or national level and all of them have been denied a licence with (I presume) the same explanation; and other individuals are far more connected with the commercial radio sector than I am and better placed than I am

We are being told, we cannot get a licence and on top of that we are dismissed with ignorant hand-waving and amusing deference to streaming services which are flat out not an alternative to broadcasting.

There are more than one, it has been something I've been trying to do since 2009 and the cost isn't nearly as outrageous as some have presented it. With the technical ability you can build your own and this has been demonstrated here on four different occasions.

None of that is needed nor a precursor to being able to get a DAB service on the air in Ireland. Neither is it required as a prerequisite for a licence for DAB (or DTT). It is something that should have been pushed by RTE/2RN with their existing stations plus TodayFM and any station currently broadcasting on Saorview.

With the spectrum being empty and unused, it wouldn't have killed the powers that be to allow someone interested in getting something on air at a local/regional level the opportunity to make a go of it. In the UK a lot of the Small-Scale DAB services are run by Community stations

It has but it is absolutely not a solution that scales and is not a solution folks should be seeking; why do you want to pay to receive something you get for free?

If you want to be nit-picky, you can get away with 32kbit for stereo if using High-Efficiency AAC but you want at least 48kbit to sound reasonable.

I know of several individuals who would like to run a DAB multiplex in Ireland at a local, regional or national level

With respect, you're not answering the fundamental question. you're just blithely repeating the same tired cliche that it's all the BAI's fault and throwing digs at those of us who think DAB's ship has sailed. You keep fixating on the actual technology needed but you're ignoring whether anyone actually wants to do this or (far more importantly) whether the public either needs or wants it.

We all understand that mobile internet is not the same as broadcasting. It's pretty irrelevant when everyone has a mobile in their pocket that can pick up 5G but not FM or DAB. It's like arguing for Betamax over VHS, the war is over.

The viability of community run DAB in the UK is totally underpinned by the commercial and BBC DAB services. That just isn't the case here.

So two questions:

If you got a licence to set up a DAB mux tomorrow, what content would be on this service?

What individual do you know who is in a position not only to set up a national DAB service but to put the resources behind it to make it a commercial success? And by resources, I mean millions of euros.

No, different radio frequencies, VHF propagates better than the upper-UHF/L/S bands used by mobile operators.

I wasn't suggesting they use the same frequencies. You took a single sentence completely out of context.

Why do some people still want to fight the battles of 40 years ago? DAB & LW 252 are 500 million miles away from being relevant to the Irish population but you'd swear they were both daily water cooler topics in every workplace the way they keep coming up around here 🤷

No one cares.

I listen to most of my radio off the internet these days. Far more choice and no inane talk to melt my head.

Except it's less of an "FM vs DAB" debate and more of a commentary on commercial radio eating its own tail because the powers that be won't let anyone else into the club - blocking DAB multiplex operators getting off the ground is a symptom of that.

I get around it (the lack of choice) by way of streaming from satellite to the car, but it's fiddly enough that I'd have to set it in motion before setting out on a journey and not want to change the station en route

yet you're posting in the thread, so you obviously do.

bit strange if nobody cares no?

You say "we all understand that mobile internet is not the same as broadcasting" yet the recurrent suggestion is that mobile internet should replace FM broadcasting (and not DAB).

Has someone said that? Not on this thread I don't think. I know I certainly have not. The discussion is entirely focused on adding DAB to the mix.

Your second question isn't particularly relevant, there might be noone with millions of euro wanting to run a commercial national DAB multiplex but it doesn't matter, a small scale service wouldn't cost close to that amount and it is small-scale that I'm particularly interested in as a democratisation of radio and media.

And that's fine, that's the answer tbh. If you're a radio enthusiast who wants the technical challenge of getting a community DAB mux up and running in whatever locality, that's absolutely fine, and tbh, if you set it up tomorrow, I doubt the BAI will come kicking your door in.

But it will have zero listeners because most people in Ireland neither know nor care what DAB is, apart from that useless button on the car radio that doesn't seem to do anything. And that is what will require millions of euro, building public awareness and giving them content they actually want to listen to. People keep saying that DAB is cheaper than FM, which is technically correct, but it's utterly meaningless when there is zero public awareness and zero public interest in it - and there is no cheap way to fix that.

If you genuinely understand the radio industry, you'll know just how long it took, how much money was spent to get the UK to its current takeup of digital, and we have nothing like their economies of scale and we certainly don't have the unlimited resources of the BBC.

It's been claimed multiple times on this thread that there are people only dying to set up a nationwide DAB service and it has also been claimed by another poster that you personally have the money, technical knowledge and desire to do so. If you're now confirming that this is absolute nonsense, then that's all I was asking tbh.

So that leaves us with two options - either DAB remains a hobby horse for enthusiasts, or we squander millions of euro of taxpayer money on reanimating its corpse on a national level. It's not really a choice, is it?

Genuine question - have you yourself actually approached the BAI?

 I'm particularly interested in as a democratisation of radio and media.

I don't mean to keep banging the same drum, but the internet has done this already. Anyone can set up a "radio" station, anyone can record a podcast, that can be accessed by anyone, anywhere in the world at any time. DAB can't compete with that.

Again, lots of people kept saying for twenty years that Betamax was better than VHS. Sometimes, it just doesn't matter.

The thread is annoying.

The reason radio is dying a death is die to the awful limited choices available on FM. Between the cash machine syndicate of stations, the woeful 2FM there isn't much else worth listening to.

Newstalk or 1 if you like current affairs, lyric for their niche, after that there just isn't any quality out there.

The appeal of DAB+ is the lower cost of entry and the potential for many many new and smaller entrants to broadcast radio, either on a national or regional basis. It's the same reason online radio, streaming and podcasts are eating radios lunch - the internet is offering a far greater range of content because creators can do so much cheaper and with less regs than is the case for broadcast FM.

Clearly the regulator needs reform here if radio is to compete in future - and a good start is moving to cheaper broadcast technologies.

Basically this thread has been repeating itself since post one with no new content added. It's an opportunity for fans of DAB to express their persecution complex. But really everyone else (and that is the vast majority) are telling you that no one cares.

Even in the much vaunted UK DAB has been a completely damp squib with most people still using FM or internet Radio via Alexa. It's only the backing of the BBC which has kept it alive.

Such as?

The Derry-Foyle area would have the benefit of a wide choice of stations on FM as it will have good signals of all the 6 national ROI stations, iRadio, Highland from nearby transmitters in neighbouring Donegal, in addition to all the national BBC, Classic FM, R Ulster/Foyle, Downtown, Q Radio, Drive 105