Digital switchover means that only the country’s local radio stations continue to use FM frequencies

Norway becomes first country to end national radio broadcasts on FM

Norway has completed its transition to digital radio, becoming the first country in the world to shut down national broadcasts of its FM network.

The country’s most northern regions and the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic switched to digital audio broadcasting (DAB) as scheduled on Wednesday, said Digitalradio Norge (DRN), an umbrella group for Norway’s public and commercial radio.

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The transition, which began on 11 January, allows for better sound quality and more channels and functions at an eighth of the cost of FM radio, according to authorities.

The move has, however, been met with some criticism linked to technical incidents and claims that there is not enough DAB coverage across the country.

Radio users have also complained about the cost of having to buy new receivers or adapters, usually priced at between €100 and €200 (£88 and £176).

Only 49% of motorists are able to listen to DAB in their cars, according to DRN figures.

A study cited by local media suggests the number of Norwegians who listen to the radio on a daily basis has dropped by 10% in a year, and the public broadcaster NRK has lost 21% of its audience.

“It’s a big change and we have to give listeners time to adapt to digital radio,” the head of DRN, Ole Jørgen Torvmark, said in a statement. “After each shutdown in a region, we noticed that the audience first dropped but then rose again.”

The transition only involves national radio channels. Most local stations continue to broadcast on FM.

Other countries, including Switzerland, Britain and Denmark, are due to follow suit in the coming years.