Norway set to become the first country in the world to phase out FM radio

Norway is set to become the first country in the world to begin the gradual shutting down of its FM radio network in parts of the county beginning from this next week, and will be completed by the end of 2017 according to the government. Nationwide broadcasts will instead be offered through digital radio channels.

The Scandinavian country is switching from FM to digital radio -- called DAB -- because the digital option offers more channels, better audio quality and savings for broadcasters. 

"The main reason that Norway is the first is because of the Norwegian landscape, which has deep fjords, high mountains and scattered communities. This makes it particularly expensive to operate the Norwegian FM networks compared with other countries” the government said in a statement.

In 2011, Norway's parliament issued a mandate calling for the nation to move from FM to digital radio by the end of 2017, and in 2015 the government approved the plan to phase out FM broadcasts nationwide over the course of 2017 and move all broadcasts over to digital audio broadcasting (DAB) format.

 

According to the government, it estimated that radio stations will save more than 200 million kroner ($23.5 million) a year by ditching FM, which will also allow them to invest further in radio content.

 

Other countries, including the United Kingdom, are also considering whether to switch from FM to digital radio, so the success of this transition will be closely monitored. 

 

Norway, is a nation with a population of about 5.2 million people and according to Radio.no, a website backed by the country's public broadcaster, about 70% of homes already have DAB radios. 

CNN Tech