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In the United Kingdom, the roll-out of digital radio is proceeding since engineering test transmissions were started by the BBC in 1990 followed by a public launch in September 1995. The UK currently has the world's biggest digital radio network, with 103 transmitters, two national DAB ensembles and 48 local and regional DAB ensembles broadcasting over 250 commercial and 34 BBC radio stations across the UK. In the capital, London there are already more than 64 different digital stations available. In addition to DAB, radio stations are also broadcast on digital television platform as well as internet radio in the UK. Between April 2007 and April 2008 the BBC trialled Digital Radio Mondiale on mediumwave and shortwave frequencies.〔(BBC - Devon - Digital Medium Wave - Digital medium wave trial report )〕 Digital radio ensemble operators and stations need a broadcasting licence from the UK's media regulator Ofcom to broadcast. Digital radio in the United Kingdom is being promoted by radio stations and the broadcasting industry on the premise that it provides superior quality sound and a wider choice of radio stations, is easier to use, and is resistant to the interference which other broadcast media are susceptible to. Notwithstanding one basic flaw which is not mentioned; the fact that many sets are inferior mono ones, there is the fact that the price paid for the extra number of stations is that the audio quality on DAB is lower than on FM. Also some areas of the country are not presently covered by DAB; the BBC says that it may not provide coverage to the final 10% of the population, and may use Digital Radio Mondiale instead. In 2011, Ofcom published a consultation with the intent to push DAB coverage across the United Kingdom up to the same level as enjoyed by FM broadcasting in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom Government intends to migrate the vast majority of AM and FM analogue services to digital between 2015 and 2019, subject to targets being met for coverage, listening figures for digital radio and agreements in relation to funding and other decisions related to switchover being made under a Memorandum of Understanding between the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, broadcasters and ensemble operators. In the UK, 39.9% of all radio listening hours by the second quarter of 2015 were through digital platforms, with DAB making up for the majority of digital radio listening (67%), and twenty six million households claim to have access to a DAB radio set.〔(【引用サイトリンク】RAJAR Data Release )〕 == Digital Audio Broadcasting == Experimental transmissions of the DAB Eureka 147 standard from the Crystal Palace transmitting station by the BBC started in 1990〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Milestones - 1990s )〕 with permanent transmissions covering London in September 1995.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Status of T-DAB implementation in Europe ) 〕 With the expansion of its single-frequency network in the spring of 1998,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=So how does the BBC fit in? )〕 the BBC national ensemble was available to 65% of the UK population by 2001 and to 85% by 2004. The Broadcasting Act of 1996 allowed the introduction of national, regional and local commercial ensembles in the United Kingdom. The first national ensemble licence for DAB from the Radio Authority was advertised in 1998 and one applicant applied for the licence. The licence was awarded to the GWR Group and NTL Broadcast, who since the launch were renamed Arqiva. The two companies formed the Digital One ensemble, which began broadcasting on 15 November 1999. The Digital One ensemble has grown and is currently available to over 90% of the UK population〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Frequently Asked Questions )〕 although an Ofcom report into Digital Radio in 2013 puts robust household coverage at 89.5% of the UK. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Digital radio in the United Kingdom」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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