Twenty new transmitters are to be added to Digital One’s 29-strong digital radio network. When commissioned, these will bring the percentage of the population able to recieve national digital radio to nearly 80% or around 40 million individuals. Commissioning of the transmitters, which are being built by NTL, is scheduled to take place between now and June 2001. By then 12 million more people will either be able to receive the signal for the first time or get an improved reception. The first of the new transmitters should be switched on in June and will cover the areas of Dover and South East Kent, Southampton, Portsmouth and Hampshire. Following that, services for East and West Sussex, East Lancashire, West Yorkshire, Wiltshire, Bristol and Bath will follow, along with improved coverage of the main motorway networks.
This commissioning programme is the beginning of phase two in Digital One’s commitment to provide 85% coverage of the population by 2003. Of the eight channels Digital One currently has on air, five are exclusive to digital radio, including the plays, books and comedy channel Oneword and recently launched over-50s channel Primetime Radio. The other three are national stations Virgin Radio, TalkSPORT and Classic FM.
