Swedish Radio's president Cilla Benkö. (Photo: Björn Dalin)

The Swedish government has takens steps towards making the transition from FM broadcasting to terrestrial digital radio in a bill proposed on 19 June.

Both EBU and Member broadcaster Sveriges Radio (SR) applaud this move, which will help secure the future of public radio in Sweden.

The government states in the new charter that it wants to appoint an official coordinator to work with the radio industry to ensure that technical and market criteria are in place for the new system.

EBU Head of Radio Christian Vogg welcomes the clear path for transition from FM broadcast to terrestrial digital radio in Sweden. "This fits well with our strategy of promoting the implementation of an Euro-Chip into all radio devices, which means the minimum requirement of analogue and digital broadcasting technology in one device, including smartphones and tablets." 

For several years, SR have pushed for this change in technology which promises to offer Sweden more radio channels and better access to listeners.

SR’s Director General Cilla Benkö said she was pleased with the Ministry of Culture’s safeguards towards the independence, development and long-term stability of Swedish radio. "The bill presented shows that the government acknowledges the importance of public service and SR's role in Swedish society."

However she was also quick to note that more investment is needed to secure the success of digitalized radio in Sweden. “We are pleased that the government is now proposing a digitization of the terrestrial network, but the issue is not yet solved by today's ruling.” Benkö said that on top of the budget set aside to manage the transition, more will be needed for radio stations to make internal technical adjustments required to maintain the quality of the broadcasts.