[Editorial] Enforcing DAB+ by law...how can this be a good idea?

At the end of May, AGCOM, the Italian telecommunications regulator agency, apparently having nothing better to do, tried to suggest that the government address the regulation of in-car audio systems. Details of the investigation and AGCOM's conclusions can be found at this link (in Italian). Since 2021, the Electronic Communications Code made a DAB+ receiver mandatory in new vehicles equipped with car radios. Unfortunately, this requirement can be easily circumvented with infotainment systems that use the internet to listen to radio broadcasts, as these systems cannot be classified as proper “car radios.” Indeed, Agcom's investigation finds the DAB+ market progressing slowly, despite the adoption of the National Frequency Allocation Plan (PNAF-DAB) and other regulatory measures. In practice, DAB+ isn't taking off. And they're trying to get it off the ground by law.

Research has shown that the digitalization of the car fleet is growing at an annual rate of 5%, with coverage expected for almost all vehicles within 10-15 years. Now, how one can make such long-term forecasts in a sector where technology changes the game in the space of two years is something only the thinking and wise men at Agcom know.

DAB+ listening at home is even worse: diffusion of DAB+ tuners is less than 15% in Italian homes, a figure similar to that of France (14%), but far behind the United Kingdom (70%) and Germany (34%), so the home audio market is still marginal. Tell me how many of you (Italian readers) listen to the radio at home? I see very few hands raised. Typically, it's listened to in the car, since the little time we have to listen to something at home is usually devoted to our HiFi system, playing our records. Kids don't listen to the radio any more, and if you notice, radio broadcasts, as TV programs, are practically all for the benefit of boomers or...worse.

Now, what exactly does Agcom wants to achieve, and why, you may be wondering. It's simple: a regulatory revision is proposed, with the aim of equipping modern cars with network-connected infotainment systems and with car radios capable of receiving audio broadcasts in all analogue and digital technologies (AM, FM, and DAB+), in order to ensure widespread and continuous access to radio broadcasting services throughout the country. Not only that, but the proposed regulatory change would both allow all cars to be equipped with a DAB+ tuner and require all to be equipped with a car radio. The car radio, says Agcom, is “a device suitable for ensuring the continuity of the provision of information services, even in terms of road safety and emergency management, guaranteeing access to the frequencies to which users are accustomed, with significant implications for the proper functioning of the internal market.” (oh yeah, whatever this burble may mean). So, in addition to the integrated infotainment system, will we also have a car stereo in the car? Simply hilarious.

Will they force us to listen to DAB+ radio at home too? Impossible! I imagine all the pressure is coming from the so-called stakeholders, namely the radio broadcasters. Perhaps they should ask themselves another question: why don't we listen to the radio any more? Is it because 99% of the broadcasts are unlistenable? Audio quality aside, you get lost among DJs shouting, talking nonsense, and laughing raucously at all hours of the morning, thinking they're funny, and the ample space given to embarrassing phone calls from home, the quality of broadcasts has never been so poor. Quality always makes a difference. Law enforcing is useless.

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July 2025 Editorial

Will the Italian government enforce the use of DAB+ devices?