Next RDS Forum meeting on 21 & 22 October 2024 at Geneva
RDS Forum - the association of RDS users
On 27 June 2024, the public Swiss broadcaster SRG/SSR announced to cease operations on FM as from the end of 2024.
In August 2021 it was already decided by the Swiss Federal authorities to switch-off FM by the end of 2024.
Swiss public and private radio will in the future remain on only two vectors, DAB+ and IP.
Private broadcasters in Switzerland may use FM only until the end of 2026.
Many specialists in radio broadcasting were surprised as this would position Switzerland as an island with a black hole for FM radio in the heart of Europe and with millions of Swiss and foreign older cars that continue to travel on Swiss roads with only FM/RDS radios on board. They can no longer then be alerted about extreme traffic and weather conditions, unless they use DAB+ to FM radio adaptors, for which the majority will most likely not care at all.
Download the RDS Forum document R24/008_3 to get a better understanding about what makes sense and what not in this 10 yearlong development, driven by the Swiss regulator OFCOM/BAKOM.
The document contains technical expert information that in this form had not yet been published.
The document R24/008_2 is also available in a German version that can be downloaded from here.
The RDS Forum has in addition for your information a frequently updated presentation that discusses the Switch-off FM radio plan of Switzerland and the criticism surrounding it.
Here you can download a presentation giving you more background information about the planned Swiss FM switch off.