Spain Launches DAB+ Digital Radio Rollout With New Decree

RTVE carries the targets

The public broadcaster RTVE is the only operator bound by the deadlines. It must cover 50% of the population six months after the decree takes effect, which happens three months after publication. Eighteen months later the requirement rises to 70% of the territory, 50% of each provincial capital and of motorways and dual carriageways. At 30 months, the signal must reach 80% of the population, 70% of cities above 25,000 inhabitants and 70% of the motorway network.

Private stations with national licences, such as SER, COPE and Onda Cero, must also adopt the technology, though under lighter requirements. For regional and local stations, joining the first phase is voluntary. Each autonomous community will later decide when all broadcasts in its territory must be DAB+ only. Some FM stations may therefore be missing from DAB+ in the first months.

What listeners get

DAB+ is often compared to digital TV (TDT) for audio. It removes interference and the crackle of weak FM reception, though the sound can cut out when coverage is lost, much like mobile networks. It needs no WiFi or Bluetooth, only a compatible receiver. It also supports surround sound, text and images such as cover art or song titles, and an automatic safety alert system for floods, fires or serious accidents.

Spain is well behind Europe. RTVE has broadcast in the format since 2024, while Switzerland and Norway set timetables and have broadcast digitally for almost a decade. Since 2020, EU rules require infotainment systems in all new vehicles to support DAB+.

New hardware is not always needed: modern receivers, audio systems and even some Bluetooth speakers may already support DAB+. Owners of DAB-only devices should ask the manufacturer whether DAB+ is covered. Older FM-only radios cannot decode the digital signal. FM itself will not go dark immediately and follows its own calendar.