Ricardo Gurgel: Is India Eyeing Brazil to Implement Digital AM through DRM?

I’m Ricardo Gurgel, an engineer, and here I discuss developments regarding the issues we raised about the vacancy of the AM spectrum for a noble use, such as its allocation for digital radio.

India is probably the best example of successful use of the AM band for digital radio. Just a few days ago, I brought up this discussion in a blog post about the vacant AM spectrum in Brazil — highlighting the opportunity to implement a digital system without disruption. There's no need to bring analog back to the AM band. It’s a clean slate, ready for the exclusive deployment of digital radio.

I noticed a significant number of visits from India to the English version of my post (link to the article), which even caught the attention of supporters of the DRM Consortium — a group dedicated to developing and promoting the Digital Radio Mondiale digital radio standard.

So, let’s clarify what DRM actually is:

DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) is a set of digital audio broadcasting technologies designed to operate on the frequency bands traditionally used for analog radio — including AM (shortwave, medium wave, and longwave) and FM (VHF). It’s an open, non-proprietary standard, which means no single company owns it and anyone can implement it. I’ll go into more detail later on regarding its quality, capabilities, and challenges.

DRM Radio

Back to the main point: friends from India have arrived at the blog and are closely following every new insight I post about Brazil — our technical profile to absorb this leap in quality, our economic potential to generate revenue through a new industry, and even the state of our economy in terms of being ready for the not-so-cheap costs of digital implementation. But let’s not forget — we’ve already made it through the transition from analog to digital TV, and nobody misses the days of snowy screens.

India offers a real-life case study of large-scale digital radio deployment in a huge, populous country — one that, like Brazil, still faces significant social and economic challenges. This makes India the most accurate simulation of what Brazil’s own digital radio process might look like. Their successes and mistakes are already valuable lessons for us. We can follow their shortcuts, build partnerships, and exchange technological know-how.

India is home to brilliant minds in mathematics, physics, and other advanced sciences. It’s even part of the exclusive group of countries with space technology. They’re admirable — and even more importantly, they have no barriers to building a cooperative relationship with Brazil. They're ready for a mutually beneficial partnership.

By choosing the DRM standard, India has geared its industry toward manufacturing transmission and reception equipment tailored to DRM — which gives Brazil the chance to quickly meet our initial demand for equipment, both for broadcasters and listeners. Of course, in the long run, it will be crucial for Brazil’s industry to exchange experience, form partnerships, and develop its own technological infrastructure to serve our market and others as well.

India, being a nation hungry for technological advancement, is likely eager to supply much of what it has already developed to new markets. I imagine they’re already preparing to run new demonstrations and rekindle the DRM debate in Brazil — a debate that has already existed here, moved forward, but never materialized. Now, with the AM band freed up, the main obstacle has been removed.

Key Features and Advantages of DRM:

• Superior Audio Quality: Delivers high-quality sound, even on shortwave and medium wave, without noise or distortion.

• Greater Spectral Efficiency: Enables the transmission of up to three audio signals and data on a single frequency, optimizing the use of the radio spectrum.

• Multimedia Services: In addition to audio, DRM supports the transmission of text (news, program information), images, slideshows, traffic updates, and emergency alerts.

• Station Name Tuning: DRM receivers can display the station's name, making tuning easier.

• Coverage Flexibility: Suitable for broadcasters of all sizes, allowing efficient use of frequency bands best suited for each region.

• Emergency Alerts: Features an integrated system (ASA - Automatic Safety Alert) for reliable emergency alerts, even during internet or mobile network disruptions.

• Revenue Potential: The ability to transmit multiple audio and data services on the same frequency creates new revenue opportunities for broadcasters.

• Energy Efficiency: DRM transmitters can consume significantly less energy compared to analog FM transmitters.

• Global Standard: The only global digital standard capable of operating across all broadcasting bands, potentially enabling FM band digitization in the future.

Are we sparking interest in the vast, untapped potential of the Brazilian market in the digital radio sector? We’re receiving many visits, including from people connected to DRM. It’s no wonder expectations are rising. Are they keeping an eye on us?

Our e-mail: ricardocfg2025@gmail.com