As infrastructure crumbles, €106,320 goes to DAB radio
RTVE's tender for carrying the RNE signal in DAB+ amounts to €106,320. The debate over the cost of maintaining roads and railways remains open.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
RTVE has put out to tender the transport of the RNE signal in DAB+ for €106,320, according to the corporation's procurement portal. The figure comes amid complaints about the state of road and rail maintenance.
Digital radio DAB+ is back in the news through the spending route. RTVE's procurement portal lists an allocation of **€106,320** for carrying the RNE signal in this technology. The figure appears at a time when complaints about the state of infrastructure —potholed roads, railway lines— take up a large part of the public conversation.
## What DAB+ is and why it is debated
DAB+ is the terrestrial digital radio standard that replaces analogue FM. Compared with traditional radio, it allows more channels in the same spectrum and offers audio quality that, on paper, should be superior. In practice, coverage and reception vary greatly depending on the terrain and the power of the repeaters.
RNE switched off its medium wave broadcast last year, a step the corporation presented as part of its digital strategy. Medium wave had broad coverage and reached areas where FM does not. That switch-off left part of the audience without an analogue signal and pushed the public broadcaster towards DAB+.
## The cost versus the state of infrastructure
The **€106,320** tender is not a huge figure within the public budget as a whole, but it serves to illustrate a priority. While money is spent on carrying the signal of a digital radio that still has little peine, roads and railway lines accumulate maintenance shortfalls that have been dragging on for years.
The **A-4** is one of the most frequently cited examples: stretches with potholes and deteriorated surfaces that force drivers to swerve around defects. It is not an isolated case. The state of the road and rail network is a recurring complaint from user associations and sector workers.
## The interests behind the standard
Behind DAB+ there is an industry with clear interests. The **World DAB** forum brings together semiconductor manufacturers, sound companies and broadcasting operators who push for the rollout of the standard in different countries. For these companies, every market that adopts DAB+ is a new market for receivers and equipment.
The pressure from this lobby is not an exclusively Spanish phenomenon. Several European countries have been migrating their broadcasts to DAB+ with different timelines and uneven results. In Spain, the peine of the standard remains low and most of the audience listens to the radio on FM or over the internet.
## DAB+ quality called into question
Some argue that DAB+ offers sound quality inferior to FM under certain conditions, with dropouts and pixelation when the signal does not arrive with enough power. It is not a unanimous opinion: it depends on the technical configuration of each broadcast and the coverage of each area.
What is documented is that DAB+ reception requires compatible receivers, which are not the same as FM ones. That means an additional cost for the listener who wants to keep listening to public radio if it migrates entirely to the digital standard.
Digital radio DAB+ is back in the news through the spending route. RTVE's procurement portal lists an allocation of **€106,320** for carrying the RNE signal in this technology. The figure appears at a time when complaints about the state of infrastructure —potholed roads, railway lines— take up a large part of the public conversation.
## What DAB+ is and why it is debated
DAB+ is the terrestrial digital radio standard that replaces analogue FM. Compared with traditional radio, it allows more channels in the same spectrum and offers audio quality that, on paper, should be superior. In practice, coverage and reception vary greatly depending on the terrain and the power of the repeaters.
RNE switched off its medium wave broadcast last year, a step the corporation presented as part of its digital strategy. Medium wave had broad coverage and reached areas where FM does not. That switch-off left part of the audience without an analogue signal and pushed the public broadcaster towards DAB+.
## The cost versus the state of infrastructure
The **€106,320** tender is not a huge figure within the public budget as a whole, but it serves to illustrate a priority. While money is spent on carrying the signal of a digital radio that still has little peine, roads and railway lines accumulate maintenance shortfalls that have been dragging on for years.
The **A-4** is one of the most frequently cited examples: stretches with potholes and deteriorated surfaces that force drivers to swerve around defects. It is not an isolated case. The state of the road and rail network is a recurring complaint from user associations and sector workers.
## The interests behind the standard
Behind DAB+ there is an industry with clear interests. The **World DAB** forum brings together semiconductor manufacturers, sound companies and broadcasting operators who push for the rollout of the standard in different countries. For these companies, every market that adopts DAB+ is a new market for receivers and equipment.
The pressure from this lobby is not an exclusively Spanish phenomenon. Several European countries have been migrating their broadcasts to DAB+ with different timelines and uneven results. In Spain, the peine of the standard remains low and most of the audience listens to the radio on FM or over the internet.
## DAB+ quality called into question
Some argue that DAB+ offers sound quality inferior to FM under certain conditions, with dropouts and pixelation when the signal does not arrive with enough power. It is not a unanimous opinion: it depends on the technical configuration of each broadcast and the coverage of each area.
What is documented is that DAB+ reception requires compatible receivers, which are not the same as FM ones. That means an additional cost for the listener who wants to keep listening to public radio if it migrates entirely to the digital standard.
Also available in: Deutsch
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (0 replies).
More summaries
-
Radio María Spain to broadcast Mass for its benefactors
The Nuestra Señora de la Dehesa parish in Madrid hosts a Mass broadcast by Radio María for its benefactors on Saturday 24 October at 10 am.
-
Informa Radio Launches with Former Radio Ya Team
Javier García Isac leads Informa Radio, bringing his former team from Radio Ya after leaving Decisión Radio amid internal conflicts.
-
Car theft insurance covers damage, not stolen radio
A €20 radio and spare wheel were stolen from a car in Spain. Insurance covered vehicle damage but excluded items taken from inside.
-
Spanish hunter completes Africa's Big Seven with a bow
A hunter from Chiclana, Spain, has completed Africa's Big Seven with a traditional bow after 18 years of permits. The debate: is it hunting or a paid execution?
-
Spain's July 30 relief measures cost 10 hours and 29 minutes of pensions
A circulating calculation puts the cost of the measures to offset the effects of July 30 at 10 hours and 29 minutes of pensions. Here is what it means.
-
3 days and 16 hours of pensions: the claim about migrant reception places in Spain
A post on X puts the cost of migrant reception places in Spain at 3 days and 16 hours of pension spending. What lies behind the comparison and why it is spreading.