UK licence gives fillip to DAB phones

Two bids have been made for a second DAB (Digital Audio Broadcast) licence in the UK. Whatever the outcome, it should provide a boost for DAB enabled handsets in Britain.

The favourite bidder is a consortium which is 55 per cent owned by Channel 4 but also includes BSkyB, UTV, Disney and the Carphone Warehouse.

If Channel 4 wins then it should provide a major fillip for mobile phone handset vendors to introduce models which can receive DAB radio signals.

The only such device at present is the bizarrely named Lobster, the 700TV from Virgin Mobile which is known in other markets as the HTC Monet.

At Channel 4, Nathalie Schwarz, director of radio, has been quoted as saying, "Encouraging manufacturers to adopt DAB radio in mobile phones is therefore a key part of our strategy to drive DAB penetration."

The INQ recently reported that software radio specialist, Radioscape, has ported its DAB compatible package onto an Analog Blackfin so handset vendors can pick either TI or Analog to add such a capability.

The fly in the ointment is that the second bidder is National Grid Wireless. The company sounds rather obscure but it is, in fact, the former Crown Castle which has plenty of experience in the wireless arena.

The deadline for bids to Ofcom was today (29th March 2007) and the licence will be given for 12 years – plenty of time to create demand for DAB in mobile phones. After all, a good number have FM built-in. µ