A review of the relative merits of various terrestrial and satellite technologies for digital radio broadcasting services and restricted datacasting services in regional areas.

Digital radio in Australia commenced in the five mainland state capital cities — Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney—in mid-2009. Digital radio was introduced to supplement, not replace, analog (AM and FM) radio services. It provides consumers who purchase a suitable receiver with access to additional radio services from commercial, national (ABC and SBS) broadcasters and, since early 2011, wide-coverage community radio broadcasters. Many of the receivers available also provide consumers with additional features that are not available for analog radio services. These may include improved sound quality, text on screen, a pause and rewind function, the ability to connect to the internet and dock with other devices.
When the Australian Parliament passed legislation to implement the framework for the introduction of digital radio in 2007, a parliamentary committee noted that it was too early to prescribe a technology for services in regional areas. Accordingly, the legislation required that a review be undertaken by 1 January 2011 of various technologies suitable for regional digital radio services.

Section 215A of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 (the Act) requires the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy to cause to be conducted a review of the relative merits of various terrestrial and satellite technologies for digital radio broadcasting services and restricted datacasting services in regional areas.