Trade association retra has issued a warning to the government that its reticence in setting a firm date for digital radio switchover is a dangerous move.
Speaking at the recent Intellect Consumer Electronics Conference in London, Communications Minister Ed Vaizey MP, said that the 2015 date for switchover remains a target the government aspires to, but he conceded a lot more work needs to be done before he can make a firm commitment.
Bryan Lovewell, chief executive of retra, says: “From retra’s point of view, postponing the 2015 date is dangerous, as members could end up selling products to customers that could soon become obsolete. We have known that the 2015 date was a moveable feast, but this date should be adhered to.”
Mr Lovewell argued that valuable lessons can be learnt from the digital TV switchover. “Once the dates for digital TV switchover were set, it galvanised manufacturers to get kit out there – specifying a time frame for switchover was key then and it is now.”
