Switch to digital-only radio is opposed by majority of population and will be watched closely by other countries

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Norway will next week become the first nation to start switching off its FM radio network, in a risky and unpopular leap to digital technology that will be closely watched by other countries considering whether to follow suit.

Critics say the government is rushing the move and fear many people may miss emergency alerts that until now have been broadcast via FM radio. Of particular concern are the 2m cars on Norway’s roads that are not equipped with digital audio broadcasting (DAB) receivers, they say.

Sixty-six per cent of Norwegians oppose switching off FM, 17% are in favour and the rest are undecided, according to an opinion poll published by the daily Dagbladet last month.

Nevertheless, parliament has given the final go-ahead for the move, swayed by the fact that digital networks can carry more channels.

Six of the best DAB radios Read more

Switzerland plans a similar move from 2020, and Britain and Denmark are among those also considering such a switch. A smooth transition to DAB, which is already beamed across Norway, could encourage these countries to move ahead.

The shutdown of the FM (frequency modulation) network, introduced in the 1950s, will begin in the northern city of Bodø on 11 January. By the end of the year, all national FM broadcasts will cease.

“We’re the first country to switch off FM but there are several countries going in the same direction,” said Ole Jørgen Torvmark, head of Digital Radio Norway, set up by the national broadcasters NRK and P4 to help the transition.

Torvmark said cars were the biggest challenge: a good digital adaptor for an FM car radio cost 1,500 Norwegian kroner (£140), he said.

Ib Thomsen, an MP from the Progress party, a partner in Norway’s Conservative-led government, was scathing about the move. “We are simply not ready for this yet,” he told Reuters.

“There are 2m cars on Norwegian roads that don’t have DAB receivers, and millions of radios in Norwegian homes will stop working when the FM net is switched off. So there is definitely a safety concern.”

For the same cost, digital radio allows for eight times as many stations as FM, and is said to have clearer sound and less hiss. The current system of parallel FM and digital networks, each of which costs about 250m kroner, saps investment in programmes.

Britain plans to review the need for a switchover once digital listening reaches 50%. On current trends that could be by the end of 2017, a Digital Radio UK spokeswoman said.