Digital radio will arrive in Brazil, but it will not be DAB+, DRM, or HD Radio

Digital radio will not be implemented in Brazil in 2026, but it may be rolled out rapidly in 2027. And I can already state that none of the three major global digital radio systems will be chosen for this initial push. It is an extraordinarily cheaper model compared to the others, precisely because several steps that are slow and almost standardized across the three major international formats simply do not exist here in the form of traditional equipment blocks. In practice, even the overall system architecture differs significantly when directly compared with existing models.

I can reveal very little at this point, but it is a model that allows configurations of 48, 64, or 128 kbps using AAC+. It is even possible to operate at higher values, which would already be unnecessary from a bandwidth consumption standpoint, or at lower values, which would result in poor, uninteresting, and technically unjustifiable configurations. There is also flexibility to adopt the MP3 format at 128 kbps, but with AAC+ available, choosing MP3 would simply be an unnecessary mistake on the part of the broadcaster.

Metadata also follows a simple and efficient path. Broadcasters may opt for very limited metadata delivery, but the system architecture allows, if desired, much more sophisticated metadata transmissions.

Is it possible that other countries will be drawn to this model? Yes, I would say that is quite likely. Deployment speed is a decisive factor, as is the broader context, which tends to drive much faster listener adoption compared with other digital radio models around the world. One cannot rule out, moreover, the risk or the opportunity that countries which have already adopted one of the existing models may also come to consider incorporating this new system.

Some possibilities within this system may include the delivery of PDF files, which can function as advertising materials available for download on receivers, QR codes used as promotional keys or complimentary tickets, as well as digital inserts and discount coupons. These are not exactly features intended for the initial phase, but the model’s architecture will already be designed in an open way, allowing for this type of “beyond radio” application.