In a boost for the UK digital radio industry, Ford has announced that it plans to offer Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) radios in all of its cars from the end of 2012.

DAB radios are currently installed in the new Ford Focus as standard equipment in the UK. The carmaker says that it will include DAB radios in all of its models from within two years in a strategy aimed at gaining an advantage over its competitors.

The vehicle manufacturer claims that providing DAB “future proofs” the Focus radios and should reassure any consumers worried about the withdrawal of FM radio. The UK government has announced the end of 2015 as the switch off date for analogue radio. However, many observers are sceptical if this date will be adhered to.

While the BBC is pushing through the deployment of DAB, progress in other European countries is patchy. The French government has announced in 2009 that it will mandate DAB radios in all new cars sold from 2013 onwards. However, there is still debate within the German authorities on whether they will fund further deployment of DAB.

According to SBD’s research into developing future infotainment strategies in a digital world, one of the key isues for vehicle manufacturers is the emergence of different flavours of DAB across Europe including DAB+ and DMB. Carmakers may be forced to develop either country-specifc solutions or multiple-technology systems capable of receiving digital radio on a pan-European basis. Either strategy could be costly.

Despite widespread uncertainty over the future of digital broadcasting in Europe, an increasing sense of urgency by national governments and public broadcasters that are keen to switch from analogue to digital could lead to a more unified pan-European broadcasting future. Switch-off dates for analogue radio are likely to emerge for many European markets, in parallel with more stable deployments of digital radio broadcasting networks based on DAB.

For more information on the development and deployment of DAB, email jappleby@sbd.co.uk