A first look at the life-saving Automatic Safety Alert (ASA) system on DAB+ will be available to delegates at this year’s Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) Digital Broadcasting Symposium (DBS), held from February 24 to 27 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The event is the premier technical symposium in the APAC region focussing on the broadcasting industry.
WorldDAB — the global industry forum for DAB+ digital radio — is again a major sponsor of ABU DBS, presenting an expert DAB+ workshop and hosting a DAB+ Pavilion at the conference exhibition. The Pavilion features several major solution providers: Aldena, AVT Audio Visual Technologies, Paneda, and RadioDNS. WorldDAB member Digidia is also exhibiting at ABU DBS.
During the conference, delegates from across the region will have the opportunity to witness the first demonstrations in Asia of the new ASA system. The technical standards for this innovative feature were published by ETSI in September 2024. Product testing certification will be available to manufacturers in the coming weeks, with the first consumer receivers incorporating ASA available to consumers later this year.
WorldDAB will host a DAB+ workshop on 24 February from 09:30 MYT, on “Innovations in implementing DAB+: safety and efficiency”. As part of this, ASA will also be featured, with Lindsay Cornell, Chair of the WorldDAB Technical Committee, providing a detailed description of its capabilities and introduction to broadcasting systems worldwide. The workshop will also include updates on DAB+ establishment progress from SE-Asian and African countries and features presentations on the latest developments from major suppliers of multiplexer, transmitter, antenna and monitoring systems with an emphasis on safety and efficiency.
The theme of the workshop flows into the main conference, with several DAB+ presentations including Lindsay Cornell on the benefits of ASA, Nick Piggott, Project Director of RadioDNS and Vice-President of WorldDAB, on the benefits of hybrid radio in vehicles, and Dr. Les Sabel on why DAB+ is the “green choice” for digital broadcast radio.
WorldDAB Project Director, Bernie O’Neill said: “We’re delighted to be part of ABU DBS once again, showcasing the many benefits of DAB+. Asia is a key development area for us with strong growth across the region. We’re pleased that the Thai regulator NBTC recently published its Digital Broadcasting Frequency Plan and Technical Standards for Digital Broadcasting Equipment and Receivers, while planning is well underway for developments in Indonesia, and in Malaysia there are further DAB+ studies taking place. We look forward to sharing with DBS delegates the demo of DAB’s emergency warning feature — ASA — offering broadcasters in the region a vital feature that will help save lives across the region.”