What is DAB?
Digital listening is now the main way many people listen to radio in the UK. DAB and DAB+ remain an important part of that digital mix, giving licensed services a route to broadcast on digital radios.
DAB is a method of carrying the output of multiple radio stations simultaneously. This method is called multiplexing. A technical development called Small-Scale DAB allows the cost of multiplexing to be reduced, which in turn allows for delivery of radio station output at a fair and proportionate price point.
Small-Scale DAB has been operating across the UK since 2019, creating an opening for new radio station formats while giving a route to air for a new wave of radio professionals, volunteers, and community broadcasters.
Added to this is the use of a further refinement, DAB+. This improves sound quality and with that, the all-important listening experience. Manchester DAB broadcasts in DAB+ to deliver the best possible audio quality to our listeners.
In terms of the environment, our DAB multiplex is good news. When the carbon footprint for a low power multiplex network is shared between twenty or more broadcast radio stations, the comparative size of that footprint is significantly reduced compared to individual FM transmitters.