Population:	33.2 million
Coverage:	30%
Services:	115 DAB, 3 Data

Last update: 20-01-2008

DAB launched in Canada in November 1999. Stations in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver started broadcasting in 1999; Ontario in 2000; and Ottawa in 2003. Coverage now amounts to about 35% of the population. In June 2005 the CRTC (the Canadian broadcast licence regulator) approved the application by CHUM Limited (CHUM/Astral) to offer subscription radio services via the DAB network.

There are currently a total of 73 licensed Digital Audio Broadcast DAB stations in Canada.

Radio Canada/CBC has also introduced its first experimental DAB station with their news/weather/traffic offering in Montreal.

The DAB stations operating in the five main cities Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa and Windsor, provide services to some 11 million potential listeners or more than 35% of the population.

In this country there are

• Regional multiplexes: 5 Regular and 14 Trial

There are currently a total of 73 licensed Digital Audio Broadcast DAB stations in Canada.

• 15 stations in Ottawa (11 commercial and 4 public)
• 25 in Toronto (21 commercial and 4 public)
• 15 in Vancouver (11 commercial and 4 public)
• 12 in Montreal (8 commercial and 4 public)
• 6 in Windsor (2 commercial and 4 public).

Radio-Canada (CBC) and CRC have been carrying out demonstrations of DMB in Montreal, Toronto and in Ottawa to raise the awareness of these DAB-based technologies among broadcasters, regulators and Telecom (Mobile) industry.

Also, there are seven DAB stations (four commercial and three public) field-testing in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

In its 1995 transitional policy, the CRTC allowed a maximum of five programmes per multiplex, which prevented broadcasters from offering an attractive choice of programmes on DAB. In 2006 in response to requests from broadcasters the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) agreed to change Canada’s 1995 transitional policy to allow more freedom to provide DAB only programmes to attract more consumer interest (i.e. more services per multiplex, use of L-Band, multimedia, subscription).