In 2009, France officially adopted DMB-A, a radio-focused variant of the Eureka-147 T-DMB multimedia broadcasting standard, for digital radio; however, it’s aggressive timeline for roll out has stalled, leading the Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel (CSA) to consider additional avenues for la radio numérique terrestre.

According to a report in Les Echos, the CSA, which regulates broadcasting in France, is poised to ask the Ministry of Industry to adopt Eureka-147 DAB⁺ as a new digital radio standard to be used alongside DMB-A.

Although any DAB receiver adhering to the WorldDMB Forum Digital Radio Receiver Profiles issued in 2008 should tune DAB, DAB⁺ and DMB-A signals, France’s standard left the county as an outlier as DAB/DAB⁺ becomes established in other parts of Europe, especially with the aggressive nationwide launch of DAB⁺ services in neighboring Germany in 2011. Also, given the global economic crisis, large private radio broadcasters have been unwilling to invest heavily in DMB-A due to concerns about the cost versus projected revenues.

If a recommendation to approve DAB⁺ is made by the CAS, it is expected to take several months for the Ministry of Industry to adopt the standard and then several more months for the CSA to tender new applications.