Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)

A letter was sent by a listener from Watford in Hertfordshire, whose name I will not put on the record. She wrote:

I've heard that current DAB receivers won't be able to decode the new standard for DAB transmission (AAC+) [which I point out to Senator Norris is another new technological name that I have not come across previously, although it is explained; it confuses the matter even further] being adopted in various countries. In three to seven years' time, will DAP receivers on sale in the UK today be obsolete, or will we simply need an adaptor?

It is a moot point. The answer given by the technical side of the BBC states:

In November last year, WorldDMB, the organisation that defines the standards for digital audio broadcasting, announced that the current DAP digital radio system was in the process of being upgraded to adopt the new AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) system. The new digital radios will have better transmission quality and the capacity for more channels. Although the new DAB+ radios will be able to decode ordinary DAB broadcasts, the old radios will not be able to decode the new broadcasts [This is the point on which Senator Norris touched.]. It's too early to say which stations will broadcast in DAB+, but don't panic just yet. A spokesperson for the BBC's digital stations tells RT: "There are over three million receivers in use in the UK that can only decode signals conforming to the original coding standard, and this number is growing rapidly. The BBC is committed to ensuring its services continue to be broadcast in a way that is compatible with these receivers. Listeners can be confident that, at whatever stage they buy a DAB radio, they will always have access to a varied range of services."

In the Irish context, my understanding is — although I stand to be corrected on this — that there are no DAB radio receivers in this country capable of receiving DAB broadcasts and there are no DAB broadcasts currently but there will be in a few weeks' time. RTE is involved in pilot trials in this respect.

The standard here is the FM frequency. RTE generates approximately €40 million a year from its radio services. Will RTE abandon the FM frequency and spectrum at some point in the future? It would defy commercial logic for it to do so unless it is certain it will maintain the services to which its listeners have become used and will demand from a public service broadcaster.

I do not wish in any way to diminish Senator Norris's valuable contribution but this matter goes back to a point Senator Kenneally made. We are waiting to hear what the Minister of State has to say on this issue. He is the most important person here——