What is DAB+?

How one signal carries many stations, and why that matters for local radio.

DAB carries the output of many radio stations at once, on one signal. That's called multiplexing.

Small-scale DAB brings the cost of multiplexing down, so stations can be carried at a fair and proportionate price. It has run across the UK since 2019, opening a route to air for new kinds of station and for a new wave of radio professionals, volunteers and community broadcasters.

DAB+ is a further refinement that improves sound quality. Manchester DAB broadcasts in DAB+.

It's better for the environment too. When the footprint of a low-power multiplex network is shared between twenty or more stations, each station's share is far smaller than running its own FM transmitter.