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Digital Radio Broadcasting in Israel
Summary of the key points:
1. Early Adoption and Success (1996–2007)
Israel was an early pioneer in digital radio, adopting the original Eureka 147 (DAB) standard in the 1990s.
The telecommunications company Bezeq operated experimental broadcasts covering 85% of the population using only six transmitters, demonstrating high reception quality and efficiency.
2. Government Mandates and Legislative Delays
2004: The Israeli government officially decided to establish a digital terrestrial radio system to increase competition in the sector.
2005: Legislation was passed to amend the Second Authority Law to accommodate digital broadcasting.
2008: After several delays, a joint tender was published by the Ministries of Finance and Communications for the establishment and operation of a DAB+ system.
3. Regulatory Barriers
Despite their expertise, Bezeq was barred from participating in the tender for the official distribution infrastructure for political reasons.
This was significant because, at the time, Bezeq was responsible for distributing all other terrestrial radio and television broadcasts in Israel.
4. Current Status and Challenges
The planned distribution system was supposed to begin operating within two years of the 2008 tender.
However, the initiative faced numerous setbacks. The page highlights that while many countries worldwide have moved toward DAB+ (which allows for more stations and better sound quality), Israel’s transition has been stalled by bureaucratic and political hurdles.
Core Message
The article serves as a critique of the missed opportunities in Israel’s digital radio landscape. It emphasizes that while the technology and infrastructure were proven early on, regulatory decisions and a lack of follow-through have left Israel lagging behind international standards for digital broadcasting.
Israel has adopted the Eureka 147 standard already in the 1990s. Between 1996 and 2007 Bezeq* was one of the pioneers of DAB (the original standard) broadcasts in the world when it operated experimental radio broadcasts throughout the country through its experimentaion laboratory in Tel Aviv. The broadcasts covered about 85% of the population using only six transmitters (!) and with very good reception quality. * BEZEQ is Israel's leading and largest telecommunications group, serving as the nation's primary provider of fixed-line, internet, and fiber infrastructure. It also provides terrestrial broadcasting distribution services to major radio and television broadcasters throughout the country.Although the company had gained extensive experience and knowledge in the field, for various (political) reasons it was decided that Bezeq would not be able to participate in the tender for the establishment of the official regular distribution infrastructure for the planned digital radio broadcasts. It should be noted that until then, Bezeq was responsible for distributing all terrestrial radio and television broadcasts in Israel. August 2004: A government decision to establish digital terrestrial radio In August 2004 the Israeli government decided to establish digital radio stations and operate digital radio broadcasts in order to increase competition in the radio sector. In March 2005, legislation was enacted in this regard through an amendment to the Second Authority Law. In June 2008, after many delays, the Ministries of Finance and Communications published a joint tender for the establishment and operation of a DAB+ broadcasting system (distribution). Accordnh to the tender, such license was offered for 14 years and included a requirement for coverage of 80% of the population, with the possibility of expansion to 90%-98% depending on the region. The broadcast distribution system was supposed to begin operating within two years. The company that was supposed to win the tender was supposed to win a government frant of 23 million shekels (approx. $7 millions USA ) . As mentioned before, Bezeq was disqualified from participating in the tender.Therfore, immediately after the disqualification decision, it stopped its experimental broadcasts. The failure of two consecutive tenders When the first tender box was opened it was empty : no company had submitted a bid. Another revised tender that was published later was not accepted and the tender box remained empty. The failure of the tenders has two major reasons:
The PUBLIC broadcasting radio stations said that they would join the project anyway because they were dependent on broadcasting funds and therefore had no choice in the matter. In 2021, it was reported that a special committee was established jointly by the Israel Broadcasting Corporation ("Kan") and representatives of relevant government ministries (the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Communications) to examine the issue. However, no significant progress has been known since then. This buried the digital terrestrial radio project in Israel for many years. Current situation Although there are no active digital terrestrial broadcasts, there are a number of radio channels that are broadcast digitally through other platforms: Idan Plus - Israeal DVB-T2 mux: As part of Idan Plus' digital terrestrial television broadcasts, a number of radio channels are now transmitted in digital encoding, such as the "Kan" stations, Galei Tzahal, and certain privately-owned regional radio stations. Reception of these broadcasts requires a digital converter box that supports the relevant audio formats (HE AAC V2 and Dolby Pulse) or a smart TV set with embedded DVB-T2 tuner. Internet: Many radio stations in Israel also broadcast their content via the Internet via streaming. Mobile apps: Most major radio stations offer mobile apps that allow listening to live broadcasts and additional content. |