RTÉ Radio has said it intends to offer digital radio services in the future. The station has also announced a range of changes to its frequencies, including beaming Radio One into Britain on long-wave.
The station said it was now "timely" to begin planning for digital radio, and it intended to move forward in two ways: by undertaking research on potential content for digital transmission, and, secondly, by assessing the cost of testing a digital service in a limited area.
RTÉ said it wanted to keep pace with developments, and to "lead the future of radio transmission in Ireland".
Digital radio is expected to revolutionise radio over the next decade. The biggest obstacle so far has been the high price of digital radio sets. The radio transmission network in Ireland also needs updating for digital transmission.
Digital radio involves better sound quality than traditional analogue services. Digital signals are not affected by interference caused by obstacles. Digital radio programmes can be saved, skipped or listed, allowing the listener increased control over how and when they listen.
The main digital system, Digital Audio Broadcast, also allows listeners to receive text on their radio sets, so it will be possible to receive text information such as news headlines, weather and sport from stations.
At a briefing yesterday, the director of radio, Mr Adrian Moynes, also said RTÉ Radio One would be available on long-wave from March 17th. It would be particularly aimed at the Irish community in Britain.