07 Jan DRM: Six DRM-configured Transmitters to be installed in India as part of transition to digital broadcasting
Press Release
For Immediate Release: December10th 2012 Contact: pressoffice@drm.org Telephone: +44 20 361 432 10
India’s public radio and television broadcaster Prasar Bharati has issued orders for six Nautel NX Series 300 kW medium wave transmitters configured for DRM30 transmission. The purchase is part of All India Radio’s (AIR) plans to upgrade facilities throughout India to DRM30 digital broadcasting The DRM digitisation implementation will allow AIR to also use alternative platforms such as podcasting, SMS, webcasting and mobile service. AIR also intends to offer a 24-hour news channel along with other programming. Additional services such as Interactive Text Transmission and disaster warning alerts are also planned.
Hal Kneller, Nautel Regional Sales Manager – Europe and Africa. “As a member of the DRM Consortium executive and steering boards, it thrills me that Nautel has been chosen to bring India into the age of digital radio with this technology. Not only will listeners hear high quality sound on AM broadcasts, they will also enjoy many of the multi-media features that DRM has to offer. Millions of DRM receivers will now be in demand!”
“What a tremendous opportunity for the radio industry in India,” said Peter Conlon, Nautel President and CEO. “Prasar Bharati and All India Radio have embarked on a project that will bring great flexibility and a world of possibilities to broadcasting in India. We look forward to working with AIR as they proceed with their digital deployment.”
Yogendra Pal, Hon. Chairman of the DRM India National Chapter, was also very pleased with the announcement: “This is excellent news and an important milestone in the prestigious digitisation initiative of the Indian Government and All India Radio. With the commissioning of these transmitters, radio listeners in the country will not only get extra content but also be able to enjoy a high quality service on MW”.
His words were echoed by Ruxandra Obreja, Chair of the DRM Consortium, who welcomed this grand-scale development; “When all these transmitters are on air, with the extra content that will be made available, India will be probably the largest digital radio country in the world. This roll-out should encourage chipset and receiver manufacturers to produce more DRM receivers. The Prasar Bharati announcement re-affirms All India Radio’s commitment to digital technologies and proves that DRM has come of age”.
About DRM
Digital Radio MondialeTM (DRM) is the universal, openly standardised digital broadcasting system for all broadcasting frequencies below and above 30 MHz, including LW, MW, SW, band I, II (FM band) and band III.
DRM provides digital sound quality and the ease-of-use that comes from digital radio, combined with a wealth of enhanced features: Surround Sound, Journaline text information, Slideshow, EPG, and data services.
DRM on short, medium and long wave for broadcasting bands up to 30 MHz (called ‘DRM30’) provides large
coverage areas and low power consumption. The enhancement of the DRM standard for broadcast frequencies above 30 MHz (‘DRM+’) uses the same audio coding, data services, multiplexing and signaling schemes as DRM30 but introduces an additional transmission mode optimized for those bands.
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