Geneva, Switzerland - Mar 19, 2009 - With India and Russia deciding to implement DRM for digital radio, the Digital Radio Mondiale Consortium believes the technology is poised to become a widely-used open digital standard worldwide.

At its annual General Assembly to be held in Erlangen, Germany March 26-27 at headquarters of Fraunhofer, the DRM Consortium will hear and debate how the recent decisions of these two countries to implement DRM for short-wave and medium-wave bands will become the driving force for the rollout in the rest of the world. The DRM Consortium looks at this development as an opportunity for manufacturers to tap into these markets with smart receivers.

The DRM General Assembly will also assess the standardization plans of DRM+, the technology to digitize FM bands with all existing DRM features plus CD-quality sound. An independently commissioned business case study for DRM+ will also be unveiled at the event in southern Germany.

Held under the theme of DRM Digital Radio - From Possibility to Reality, the General Assembly will be attended by Consortium members, broadcasters, service providers and manufacturers from all over the world. The technical heads of the European and Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Unions will also take part and express their views on the digital scene in the two continents.