US: The National Radio Systems Committee (NRSC) in the US, co-sponsored by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), released a request for proposals (RFP) on location-based services (LBS) technologies for terrestrial radio data broadcasting. Through the RFP, Location-based Services Protocols for Broadcast Radio Transmission, NRSC aims to form the basis for future NRSC standards and/or guidelines. The NRSC hopes to identify new and innovative services using geo-location data that will benefit broadcasters and radio listeners alike.
“Local radio offers an ideal platform for the delivery of location-based services. This investigation by the NRSC will help to identify new opportunities for broadcasters to serve their communities and potential new sources of data broadcasting revenue,” said Kevin Gage, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of NAB.
According to CEA’s press statement, Digital radio technologies, specifically HD Radio in-band/on-channel digital radio and the FM subcarrier-based Radio Data System (RDS) are already being used to disseminate traffic information, which is one type of LBS.
“Location-based services are increasingly popular and useful for consumers across many platforms, and through this RFP, this committee hopes to bring consumers more location-based options over radio broadcasts,” said Dave Wilson, CEA’s director of technology and standards.
Source: CEA
