Deployment of digital terrestrial radio in France: DAB+ multiplexes start up in La Rochelle, Orléans, Poitiers and Tours

No, because unlike DTT for television, DAB+ technology has the advantage of being able to coexist with radio's "traditional" broadcasting method, the FM band. This means that digital terrestrial radio can work in tandem with FM diffusion, just as DTT had rapidly replaced analog television diffusion in France. Of course, as with FM, reception of DAB+ radio will remain totally free of charge.

As with DTT, your reception equipment must be compatible. While DAB+-compatible radios can receive FM signals, the reverse is not always true.

To receive digital radio, you'll need the right equipment. There are a wide range of DAB+ receivers available at very different costs, starting from a few dozen euros. Since the end of 2019, all radio receivers sold in France, except car radios, must integrate DAB+. As of mid-2020, all car radios in new cars sold in France will also incorporate DAB+. The European Electronic Communications Code, which must be transposed into French law by the end of 2020, also makes provision for DAB+ integration in radio receivers.

The aim of Ma Radio DAB+ is to inform you about current DAB+ coverage and future rollouts. There are two reasons why your municipality may not be listed in Ma Radio DAB+:

Less than 50% of the population of your commune is considered to be covered: Ma Radio DAB+ then considers that your commune is not covered.

• However, if nearby communities receive DAB+, you may still be able to receive DAB+.
• On the other hand, if none of the communes near you receive DAB+, then it's very likely that you won't yet be able to receive DAB+. [link to "DAB+ rollout"]

Your municipality is not included in the planned DAB+ rollout.

• If your municipality is close to another where DAB+ deployment is made provision for, you may also be able to receive DAB+ when this municipality is covered. Keep up to date with Ma Radio DAB+: as soon as Arcom has the technical information it needs to assess the coverage of this and surrounding communes, it will indicate which radios can be received and when broadcasts are due to start. Your commune could then appear on Ma Radio DAB+.
• Although the planned deployment of DAB+ does not concern your commune or any of the communes in the vicinity, it may nevertheless develop in the short or medium term.
  • In fact, the deployment of authorized national radio stations and six of the seven Radio France stations throughout mainland France is guided by quantitative coverage obligations set by Arcom. However, these stations are free to choose where they wish to expand as they go along. As soon as Arcom has the technical information it needs to assess the coverage of these radios, it will update Ma Radio DAB+.
  • Only the provisional deployment of private local or national radio stations authorized for DAB+ at local level, and of France Bleu, is subject to a multi-year roadmap, for which Ma Radio DAB+ provides information for the most important communes several years in advance.

The French radio landscape is characterized by its richness and the sheer number of different services on offer.

The radio supply varies from city to city.
That's why listeners at home or on the move often have to ask themselves this question:
What radio stations can I listen to where I am?

Simply enter the name of the desired listening location, and "Ma Radio FM" lists the radio programs likely to be heard in the commune indicated, their frequency of diffusion and the name of the point from which the program is shown.
(e.g. France Inter on 87.8 MHz from the Eiffel Tower).

If you have a problem receiving a radio station via an antenna (FM radio, digital terrestrial radio), we advise you to check whether the station of your choice is being shown in the zone concerned. To do this, browse the My FM radio application.

If the station is indeed being shown in the area concerned, but the reception problem persists, you can contact Arcom.

Radio stations are responsible for the content of the programs they show. They are free to decide which programs to air, depending on the audience they wish to reach and the diffusion rights they have acquired, as long as they abide by their legal obligations. Arcom does not intervene in their programming.

To exercise your right of reply to radio and TV broadcasters, you can contact the channel or station concerned directly(click here to access the directory of operators). For all other questions or comments relating to the content of a program or its programming, you can contact the viewer and listener relations departments directly. You will find by following this link for the contact details of these mediation services for the main national channels.