Norway became the first country to stop broadcasting FM

Norway will turn to digital radio technology for better sound quality and cost savings.

Norway completed the transition to use digital radio technology, becoming the first country in the world despite the controversy, Guardian reported yesterday.

On schedule, the northern region and the Svalbard Islands in the Arctic switched to digital radio technology (DAB) on December 13, according to Norway's public and commercial radio consortium, Digitalradio Norge (DRN).

Norway uses digital radio technology to replace traditional technology.(Photo: Free Malaysia Today).

The conversion process begins on January 11, helping to improve sound quality, providing more channels and features at a cost of only 1/8 compared to FM waves. This action faces criticism regarding technical issues and digital broadcasting is not enough to cover the whole country.

Radio listeners also complained about the cost of purchasing new receivers and devices for about $ 118 to $ 236. Only 49% of drivers can listen to DAB in cars, according to DRN statistics.

Local media cited a study showing that the number of Norwegians listening to the radio is down 10% every day in just one year, the public radio station NRK loses 21% of its listeners.

"This is a big change and we have to let listeners have time to adapt to the digital radio. After each stop broadcasting FM in one area, we find the number of listeners initially decreased but after That increased, " said Ole Jorgen Torvmark, head of the DRN group.

The conversion is only carried out with national radio channels. Most local radio stations continue to use FM radio. Some other countries like Switzerland, England and Denmark will follow Norway in the coming years.