29 November 2007
A new 12-year licence, which would cover digital radio services for the Mid and West Wales regions, was advertised yesterday by regulator Ofcom.
The regions, which are mainly rural, are one of the few not currently served by Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB).
Already reserved on the space allocated for digital radio broadcasting in the regions are stations BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Cymru.
The announcement follows similar advertisements for new DAB services in other remote regions from the regulator.
"This licensing process will lead to a significant expansion in digital radio services throughout the UK," Ofcom said in a statement.
Last week, the industry watchdog set out a future regulatory framework for commercial DAB radio across Britain - which highlighted the importance of local content.
Under the proposals, a minimum quota of region-specific broadcasting would be set for providers to follow.
The potential audience base of the future DAB services numbers 400,000 local residents.
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