The new audio compression standard expected to be mandated for Australia’s commercial launch of digital radio has been given the green light by WorldDAB at its 12th General Assembly in Seoul, Korea.

Coding Technologies’ AAC+ is a far more efficient audio compression technique than the currently used MP2 and offers at least double the number of stations in a multiplex at ‘better-than-FM’ quality.

Additionally, broadcasters will be able to transmit programming in MPEG surround sound, although that option would require significant studio upgrades and will probably be under-utilised.

The move is great news for markets like Australia and China where DAB is yet to be officially launched, however in the UK the move to the newer codec could be problematic.

Nearly five million DAB devices have been sold in Britain, and a complete overhaul of the country’s system would render current receivers obsolete, a politically unviable option.

The UK is nevertheless committed to introducing the new technology, because of complaints that too many stations have been squashed into a limited bandwidth, leading to inferior quality audio.

Tests of the new AACplus codec took place in the UK last week and Australia will soon follow suit.