PRC Update DAB, DMB, DAB-IP

DAB, DMB and DAB-IP services planned for 2006 Beijing, 18th April 2006 -

Update of DAB, DMB, DAB-IP developments in the People's Republic of China (PRC):

- China is a key market for the DAB, DMB and DAB-IP family of standards. Not only is it the powerhouse of the global supply chain for products, with the largest population in the world, but the adoption of DAB in China will also have a huge effect on the worldwide development of DAB.

- DAB, DMB and DAB-IP trials are currently underway in several parts of the country, and three broadcast licences have been issued covering Guangdong Province, Beijing and Shanghai. Commercial DMB services from several companies will launch during the first half of 2006 in Guangdong and Beijing. Manufacturer Samsung Electronics has agreed to supply 500,000 DMB phones to two major Chinese DMB operators.

- Guangdong Province: The Guangdong Yuguang company was the first to adopt DAB in China and has been trialling audio services since 1997. The potential mobile broadcast phone users are 6 million in Guangdong. A second company, Guangdong Mobile Television Media plans to launch commercial DMB services in May, 2006 to cover the Pearl River Delta Area.

- Beijing: In January 2005 leading Chinese radio broadcaster, Beijing Radio teamed up with Sunshine Asset Group to establish Beijing Jolon Digital Media Broadcasting Co. DMB trials began in late 2005 and in May 2006 Jolon plans to launch eight commercial services with coverage reaching a potential 15 million people. Jolon has also been working with manufacturers Blaupunkt, Lenvo and JVC to develop DAB/DMB receivers

- Shanghai: Trials of DMB services for mobile TV and radio in L-Band, broadcasting six video and 12 audio services to the Shanghai area, have been underway since 2005 from OPG, a subsidiary of the Shanghai Media and Entertainment Group. Population coverage in this area is expected to top 15 million people.

- Elsewhere in China: trials using DAB continue in Tianjing and Langfang, and in Hong Kong SAR - Sha tin, Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.

Details supplied by WorldDAB, London, the international DAB forum.

The organization plays host to the international DAB conference in Beijing April 20-21 at the Kerry Centre in Beijing. The event is jointly organised by WorldDAB, Radio Beijing Corporation and Beijing Jolon; it is co-hosted by Linfair Engineering Group. Sponsors include: Irdeto, Frontier Silicon, Futurewaves, Telechips, Blaupunkt, BT Movio, Factum Electronics and Radioscape, with Broadcast & Production Magazine as the event media partner.