In Britain, where this week people have been told to isolate at home, demand on mobile data and internet bandwidth has become stretched.
In response to this, video streaming services have decreased their quality to lessen the drain on bandwidth and people have been asked to prioritise their online tasks so that those working have enough bandwidth to remain connected.
It shows the vulnerability of mobile and online networks when there is excessive simultaneous demand.
Fortunately broadcast radio and tv remain free, on air and don’t use any bandwidth.
Britain’s regulator Ofcom has issued 7 Tips to Stay Connected in response to the unprecedented level of internet and data usage.
Tip 3 says “lower demand on your connection.”
Radio and tv broadcasters can jump in on this tip to remind people that they can lower the demand on their connection by turning on the radio or television. Listeners can enjoy music, feel connected, and hear news updates, uncontaminated by social media fake information, by turning on their radios while they work or relax at home.
For a century, broadcasters have perfected robust transmission infrastructure that can serve mass audiences reliably, without additional demand on resources. Now is the time to remind people of the benefits of that.
At this time, it might be a good idea for broadcasters to increase reminders of the station’s position on the dial and tell people who are listening online that there is also an alternative method of listening… called a radio.
If your ad inventory is low, create some messages to fill the vacant slots, that remind people that they can lessen the load on their internet by turning on the radio. Once this is all over it might pay off in increased listening.
Working with Abe’s Audio, radioinfo has created a live read script and prerecorded announcement that you are free to use if you want to take up this suggestion. Download the audio here.
As more of us work from home during the Corona Virus lockdowns, there is increasing demand on the internet.
Here’s one way for you to enjoy uninterrupted listening and decrease the demand on bandwidth. Turn on your radio!
If you want music, there’s plenty of stations to choose from, curated by your favourite personalities.
If you want news, radio journalists are working round the clock to check their facts and bring you reliable news, untainted by social media hoaxes.
Do your bit. Decrease internet demand by turning on your radio!
Rights free usage permission granted for use by all radioinfo readers.
We suggest you play a radio related song after the message. Here are some of our favourites, but there are plenty to choose from in all musical genres:
- Masters Apprentices, Turn Up Your Radio
- Joni Mitchell:, You Turn Me On I’m A Radio
- Beyonce, Radio
- Van Morrison, Wavelength
- The Avalanches, Radio
- Joy Division, Transmission
If you have suggestions about other radio songs, please post them in the comments section below.
If Australia reaches the level of quarantine that is now taking place in Britain, we hope we hear our leaders reminding us to turn on the radio so bandwidth won’t become an issue.
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Radio Sales in the Time of Coronavirus – PART 2
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This is about conservation of IP bandwidth, EM bandwidth and energy.
First, with the dramatic expansion of demand for high-bandwidth IP content such as audio and video streaming, it is only in recent days that the CEO of Telstra as at 27-03-2020 looked at users limiting the demand for IP Streams. Requests by telco providers to VOD services such as Netflix to downgrade HD services to SD services have been necessary during the covid-19 pandemic. It is not not only in Australia, but in other regions such as Europe.
It is the result of more and more people are working or studying from home using internet to communicate, receive assignments, multi-conference with colleagues/students and submitting reports.
For Australia, unless I am corrected on this, the weakest point in the NBN will have to be the maximum bandwidth capacity of connection types such fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) and HFC (hybrid-fibre-coaxial) compared to fibre-to-the-home/premises and possibly fibre-to-the-curb (fibre optic at the hub located on the pit outside the home with a shorter length of Cu wiring compared to FTTN).
While 5G is nascent and being sold as the next big thing in high speed communication faster than the NBN, there have been no reports on "stress tests" on the bandwidth of 5G's IP network with many users consuming data-heavy content such as VOD and movies.
Similarly when the CEO of Telstra is asking its clients to ration their consumption of bandwidth, to me indicates NBN's IP bandwidth is constrained by the particular connection technologies such as FTTN and HFC.
Second, the EM spectrum may well be under stress as indicated by the by the ACMA's report on the future of radio transmissions, page 35 of
https://www.acma.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-03/Report-to-the-Minister-Future-delivery-of-radio.docx and see the same points at https://radioinfo.com.au/news/acma-delivers-its-report-future-delivery-radio.
According to the report, it appears that the ACMA's priorities are to convert AM services to FM where the FM spectrum is available. BUT second point did not specify technology to expand, national, commercial and community services. It did however recommend an expansion of the DAB+ services and the supporting of trials of new technology. However, it seems that the term "new technology" is vague. Perhaps it refers to DRM+ and 5G. As mentioned before, 5G is nascent and has not undergone a bandwidth stress test as the current IP networks.
The digital platforms DAB+ and DRM+ conserve bandwidth compared to AM transmissions and to a lesser extent FM transmissions considering that FM can carry in addition to the main broadcast two SCA channels and rds.
There is no explanation of why the ACMA relegated DRM+ known as "other technology" in trial form rather than another way of transmission. DRM+ would be ideal in rural areas.
Taking it it to an extreme, there is a demonstration of a comparison of the reception in Spain of Radio New Zealand's international service via SW AM and DRM+. DRM+ trumps SW AM for clarity:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkD01FuXOsg
Finally, when it comes to conserving energy, both DAB+ and DRM+ and to a much lesser extent FM use much less energy than AM radio.
Thank you,
Anthony of exciting Belfield