Digital Radio Mondiale™ (DRM) Consortium concluded successfully its annual general assembly “Smart, global and green”

The DRM Consortium held its virtual General Assembly on March 30th with the participation of members and guests from all continents (India, Indonesia, Pakistan, UK, Germany, Romania, Australia, India, Canada, Brazil, Romania, Denmark, South Africa, Tanzania, USA and other countries).

The first members only session reviewed the good progress made by DRM in the past year and confirmed the election of the new officers of the Consortium (2022-2024) and their role in the Steering Board (representing the following companies: Ampegon, BBC, CML Microcircuits, Encompass Digital Media, Fraunhofer IIS, Nautel, NXP, RFmondial), and other bodies of the Consortium for the next two years (2022-2024). Ruxandra Obreja was reconfirmed as Chairman of the Steering Board.

The open session which was attended by over 80 participants was a good opportunity to take stock of the DRM rollout in the world with live presentations from India, South Africa, Pakistan, Brazil, Denmark, and other countries. The agenda also included a presentation on the excellent facts and data gathered during the India DRM FM trial.

The encouraging activity of the India automotive group, and the progress of the innovative education project were also some of the meeting highlights. The keynote speech delivered by Nigel Fry, Director Distribution, BBC World Service, focused also on the value of DRM (for AM especially) in places that are of greatest need of information and education.

The session that really got everyone’s great interest was the one on the progress made in getting to the market receivers and new prototypes. The progress made by receiver and chipset manufacturers (NXP, Skyworks, Cambridge Consultants/CML Microcircuits, Gospell, RF2Digital, Inntot, Fraunhofer IIS, Starwaves and others) was practically illustrated with clear and exciting videos. These solutions are now supporting the full DRM standard (AM and FM bands) and all the DRM features set giving extra benefits like EWF (Emergency Warning Functionality), distance learning, extra content in various languages. The videos are now available on the DRM YouTube.

The online DRM event gave members and guests a chance to share news and ideas and to contribute to the strategic directions of the Consortium for the coming months and years.

According to DRM Chairman, Ruxandra Obreja: “The General Assembly proved that the Consortium is strong, very active and looking with confidence to the future. The world is changing and radio, digital radio DRM has a great window of opportunity to meet the new and diverse expectations of the listeners. Digital Radio DRM has proven to be flexible, green, smart offering coverage from very local to international. The chipset and receiver progress records a real step-change. The DRM Consortium has great members, associates, and supporters. Its valuable expertise and activity make DRM a firm part of the digital landscape allowing everyone to stay safe, informed and educated, wherever they are.” BCS Bureau