Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Communications has decided to allocate the radio frequency bands 65.9-74 MHz and 87.5-108 MHz for use by digital radio broadcasting using the DRM + standard.

This will have a significant impact on the development of the broadcasting market in the country, service of the Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communications.

According to a statement released by press agency RIA Novosti, the implementation of the DRM + standard significantly increases the efficiency of the use of radio frequency resources. In the frequency band of the DRM + 100 kHz radio channel, up to four stereophonic programs can be transmitted, including additional information.

Compared with FM broadcasting, the quality of sound improves due to the possibility of switching to multi-channel stereo. The standard allows you to enter additional data services, including text, statistical images, the Traffic Message Channel (TMC), and also provides the ability to use the Emergency Warning Function (EWF).

With DRM +, the number of radio channels is almost doubled, and the operating costs and payback periods of new equipment are reduced by reducing the required transmitter power and the available capability of their operation in a single-frequency network, which leads to additional energy savings.

The introduction of the new standard does not require changing the frequency planning adopted in the Russian Federation and allows integration into the global information system without additional costs.

Before recommending the standard for use in Russia, a thorough and successful trial by FSUE RTRS jointly with the St. Petersburg State University of Telecommunications was conducted, during which the benefits of the DRM (DRM in the bands VHF, DRM+) were confirmed.

“This is an uneasy but fundamental decision that will have a significant impact on the development of the broadcasting market in our country. Norway, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Belgium and Latvia several years ago began a stage-by-stage refusal of analogue broadcasting in favour of digital,” said Mikhail Seslavinsky, head of the Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communications.