The Digital Radio Mondiale association has announced that its South Africa group has “reached a major milestone in its digital radio journey with the approval of its DRM in FM demonstration license, issued by ICASA in November 2025.” ICASA is the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa.
It added, “This regulatory green light establishes the foundation needed to move forward with South Africa’s first coordinated DRM FM demonstration — an initiative aimed at showcasing the value of Digital Radio Mondiale as the country accelerates its shift toward digital sound broadcasting since the regulator already recommended DRM (and DAB) as its digitization path.”
Furthermore, “The demonstration will focus on showcasing DRM’s advanced capabilities, including Emergency Warning Functionality (EWF), distance learning through Journaline, multichannel broadcasting on a single FM transmitter, and significant energy-efficiency gains. Alongside the technical demonstrations, the project will assess digital-era business processes for broadcasters, explore new revenue opportunities, and stimulate local receiver manufacturing across portable, in-car, and mobile platforms.”
On the technical side, “With the license secured, the DRM South Africa Group can now proceed with completion of the transmitter installation, equipment integration for data services, awareness-building, and project coordination.” according to the announcement.
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