DRM Africa Newsletter – Next - Digital Radio Mondiale

Dear Friends, Colleagues and Partners,

Welcome to the first edition of the African DRM Newsletter!

It is with great excitement that we have announced at IBC 2025 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, that the not-for-profit DRM Consortium has decided to put more focus on the African digital radio sector. The quarterly African newsletter is an invitation to all those interested to learn more about DRM and share their news so that digital radio can become reality and bring its good audio and many digital benefits to the millions of avid African listeners.

Digital Radio Mondiale – DRM – is a digital audio broadcasting using terrestrial waves for international, national, regional and local coverage. DRM is made for Africa with its many big countries, and smaller ones, and with a lot of rural communities that need and deserve the same services as the listeners in the big cities.

In this first edition of the African DRM Newsletter, you will find the latest news announced by several DRM members at IBC 2025. But this is not all, as you will see below.

We will be also trying to include as many African news related to DRM and digital radio in general as possible.

Please send us your news, opinions, projects and questions to projectoffice@drm.org and we will make sure that the next edition will include your name and capture your communication, if relevant to your country or your region.

The African DRM Newsletter is a news and learning exchange that can benefit anyone in Africa or in the DRM Consortium as digital radio can enhance or save lives and no African citizen can be left behind or can miss this new and empowering technology!

Finally, please do not forget to follow and subscribe to all our LinkedIn, X, YouTube and Instagram channels. And if you’d like more information about joining the Consortium, so you are fully involved with our work and have access to specialist experts and more information, please contact projectoffice@drm.org.

Ruxandra Obreja

DRM Chairman

Latest News

“DRM – Your Connected Future” Significant Developments Announced at IBC 2025

Under the theme “Your Connected Future”, DRM Consortium members unveiled major innovations at IBC 2025 in Amsterdam, including the first edition of the African newsletter.
Highlights included China’s adoption of DRM as a national standard for mediumwave and shortwave, the world’s first multichannel DRM transmitter in VHF Band III, and new receiver solutions for cars, mobile phones, and standalone devices. Starwaves launched a dual-standard Android app, while Fraunhofer and CML Micro expanded receiver modules now in mass production in India. With new monitoring tools, educational video demos, and a General Assembly planned for Indonesia, DRM is rapidly transforming digital broadcasting worldwide.

📄 “DRM – Your Connected Future” at IBC – Key Announcements

👍 Read and like the post on LinkedIn

DRM Revival Planned in Nigeria

Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation has recently initiated the contract to restore the Voice of Nigeria (VON) shortwave transmission using the powerful 250 kW TX2 transmitter at the Lugbe transmitting station in Abuja, the nation’s capital. The modernisation of VON’s transmitter is a bid to establish the organisation as a leading voice in African broadcasting.

📄 DRM Revival Planned in Nigeria

👍 Read and like the post on LinkedIn

Free DRM Associate Membership Extended for Another Year

The DRM Consortium announced based on a recent Steering Board decision, that the highly successful offer for interested companies and organisations to join the DRM Consortium through an introductory Associate Membership will be extended. After the initial year without membership fee, the new member can then decide to continue as a Associate Member, or as a Full Member with all benefits and privileges.

For more details contact: projectoffice@drm.org

DRM Delivers Distance Education – An Excellent First for Africa and the World

In a groundbreaking pilot held in The Gambia this year, DRM successfully demonstrated its potential to deliver distance education via digital radio. On April 8th, students at St Joseph’s Senior Secondary School received a live maths lesson broadcast over 4,000 km from the UK using DRM shortwave, complete with audio, multilingual text, and interactive digital textbooks. This world-first for Africa showcased how DRM can support learning in remote areas without internet access, using affordable, low-power receivers.

📄 Read more on news.drm.org

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🔗 Successful DRM Presentation at eLearning Africa 2025 in Dar es Salaam

DRM General Assembly Heads to Indonesia

DRM is pleased to announce that its next General Assembly will take place in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 25-26 March 2026, in collaboration with RRI Indonesia. The event will be hosted by the public broadcaster RRI and its President Director, Mr. Ignatius Hendrasmo, marking a significant opportunity for Consortium members and stakeholders to gather, exchange ideas, and shape the future of digital radio in one of the region’s most dynamic broadcasting markets. More details will be shared closer to the date but save the dates for your diaries!

📄 Read more on news.drm.org

👍 Read and like the post on LinkedIn

DRM South Africa Group

The DRM SA Group offers up-to-date information and guidance to support the successful growth of DRM digital radio in South and Southern Africa. Aldred Dryer, the chairman of the DRM South African Group thinks that: “Broadcasters across Africa are increasingly recognising DRM digital technology as an ideal solution for the continent. DRM can bring real benefits to people everywhere supporting distance learning, providing critical emergency warning all with outstanding energy efficiency. With the launch of this newsletter, we now have a consistent platform to share stories, updates and insights that reflect how DRM can transform lives across Africa.”

Visit the DRM SA website for more information – www.drmsa.org

DRM, DAB, DSB — What’s in a digital name?

The DRM Chairman, Ruxandra Obreja, unpacks why clarity around digital radio standards is vital for Africa’s future.

Video on DRM

Starwaves presented a technology preview how efficient low-bitrate codecs VVC in combination with xHE-AAC make DRM viable for real-time video services in FM and AM bands (“DRM Diveemo”). One example delivered a 100-kbps educational video in the FM band.

🔗 vvcdemo.starwaves.com