As technology continues to progress, it's inevitable for some of the older technologies to become obsolete. One of these is the FM radio streaming. While FM radio is still a big hit in many countries, there are places that realized that they no longer need the FM radio technology in their countries, and the first one to do something to phase this out is Norway.
FM Radios Set To Be Removed In Norway
As per CNN, FM radios in Norway will start going silent very soon, at least in some parts of the country. As per the country's government, this shutdown process will be completed by the end of the year. Nevertheless, there is also some exception within the regulation and it will allow some of the smaller stations to continue streaming on FM frequencies. It's worth noting that the country doesn't have AM stations, so these new regulations are just going to affect FM broadcasting.
Norway To Shift To Digital Radio
Despite this big change in the radio industry within the country, jobs won't necessarily be directly affected. Norway is simply shifting from FM radios to digital radios (DAB) which means that radio stations aren't shutting down, they're just changing how they stream their radio content.
The country has decided on digital radios for the reasons that it has more channels, bigger savings, and better audio quality. As a whole, shifting to digital radio offers a ton of benefits for radio companies in Norway. Since the country is made up of high mountains and scattered populations, the traditional method of FM broadcasting costs fortunes. So while other countries don't necessarily see the need to shift to digital radios, Norway does.
With that said, Norway has decided to move to digital radio after a decade of planning. As for the other countries. Fox News says that Switzerland is planning to do the same in 2020. More countries like the UK are also considering the same idea, so Norway's success in its transition will undeniably be monitored by its neighbors.
Effect Of Norway's Switch To DAB
The switch could actually leave millions of cars without access to radio, but of course, it is an inevitable part of the process. As per Gizmodo, 66 percent of Norway's residents aren't in favor of the shutdown and only 17 percent are happy about the decision. It's worth noting that there are also issues regarding the costs of new radios. So while the shift will generally reduce the costs for broadcasters and increase the quality of their service, it would be the listeners who can be affected by the transition costs.
