Panama Says 'Yes' to IBOC

05.19.2009

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Panama has selected in-band, on-channel broadcasting as its official digital radio standard, in a victory for HD Radio developer iBiquity Digital.

Company President/CEO Bob Struble called the news "the most recent milestone in [IBOC] becoming a standard around the world." The Philippines also has named IBOC as its standard. In the United States, there are more than 1,900 HD Radio IBOC stations on the air plus more than 1,000 multicast channels.

In an official decree [PDF], the government of Panama says it chose IBOC over Eureka 147 and Digital Radio Mondiale, according to iBiquity. Under Panamanian law, licensees have the right to operate both frequencies or channels for a transition period of no more than 10 years, or for a longer period as may be determined by the government, according to a translation provided by iBiquity.

The Panamanian government also announced its new TV standard: DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcasting).

Elsewhere, the company said, stations are broadcasting with HD Radio technology with ongoing operations in Brazil, Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Jamaica, Mexico, Switzerland, Thailand and the Ukraine.

Countries with testing under way or that have performed HD Radio testing include Argentina, Bosnia, Canada, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Germany, New Zealand, Poland, Romania and Vietnam.