The Digital Radio Mondiale™ (DRM) Consortium held its first in-person General Assembly in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, post-Covid, between April 27-28, under the banner "Smart, Local and Efficient".
The open session on April 27th brought exciting updates from all the continents, with new information from India, South Africa, Pakistan, Brazil, Germany etc.
We received fresh information directly from the top representatives of the Indonesian Communication Ministry - Kominfo - present in Palma and from the highest echelons of the Indonesian public broadcaster.
We welcomed the surprise announcement made during the GA about the start of DRM tests in Nepal, as well and welcomed the news from Pakistan and its full plans, commitment to receivers and asking for DRM mandate in cars.
Some of the key members brought their own excellent news about DRM developments (like a recent monitoring test of low-cost DRM receiver in Europe -BBC, the multi-channel capabilities of DRM in the FM band- RFmondial and the exciting link established between the ATSC 3.0 standard and DRM- Fraunhofer IIS).
The receiver session, with participation from CML Microcircuits/Cambridge Consultants, Gospell, Inntot, Fraunhofer IIS, Starwaves, NXP and others confirmed the great and innovative progress made in creating receivers for the automotive industry, recent mobile solutions and standalone receivers. The existing and new receiver solutions are already 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 "DRM open day" was a global and interactive event with participants from countries as far apart as Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, several African countries, Colombia, US, UK, Egypt, Hungary, Denmark, Thailand and so many more.
The presentations of this rich and news-filled day are now available at: https://www.drm.org/drm-general-assembly-in-facts-and-figures/.
During the first day of the annual DRM assembly, we also announced the worthy winners of our two competitions: https://www.drm.org/drm-photo-and-quote-competition-winners-unveiled.
On April 28th the DRM Consortium members debated and finalised the strategic directions for the coming year, with its emphasis on receivers, key areas of the world, like Asia and Africa, and general communication.
"The DRM General Assembly 2023 was an up-to the-minute showcase of our recent successes and future activities in this ever-evolving digital world", says Ruxandra Obreja, DRM Chairman. "Digital Radio DRM has proven with clear facts and figures that it is global, flexible and in tune with local needs; its energy and spectrum efficiency are also noteworthy and should be really promoted. The receiver progress has been remarkable. The General Assembly participants all agreed that it now needs to translate in mass production and take up of car and other receiver solutions. The DRM Consortium is in rude health. Its greatest asset is its members whose valuable expertise and activity prove that DRM is a current, perfect solution for all needs and territories, allowing everyone to stay informed, educated and safe, wherever they are."
Info: www.drm.org
Notes: Press Release – Digital Radio Mondiale - May 3rd, 2023
