Norway first world country to turn off analogue FM radio in digital move

Norway on Wednesday began turning off analogue FM radio, making it the first country in the world to fully transition to digital audio broadcasting (DAB), broadcasting officials said. Thor Eriksen, NRK Broadcasting Chief, in Stockholm, said it was an historic moment, at 11.11 a.m. (1011 GMT), when the analogue FM broadcasting system in the northern county of Nordland was shut down and other commercial broadcasters switched over to the DAB standard. The move will ultimately see both state and commercial broadcasters leave FM radio for DAB, which is said to be more robust and use less power to operate, while offering more channels and better audio quality than Norway’s ageing FM broadcast equipment. “Norway’s topography with many small communities spread across mountains and valleys, difficult to reach with FM radio, has also been cited for the switch,’’ he said. Norway: Country becomes first to turn off FM radio

The government said the transition was to be completed by Dec. 13, 2016 in the country of about 4.2 million.
Norway becomes the first country to start a complete switch-off of national FM radio stations. The change, from the analogue FM system to digital audio broadcasting, is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Some, such as the Norwegian Local Radio Association, are concerned about the impact on motorists and the elderly.