The technology behind radio broadcasts has changed little over the years. Stations still broadcast analog-based FM and AM signals. Digital radio, however, could be the wave of the future, catapulting the medium into the communication revolution. Transmitting a digital rather than an analog signal offers clear sound, interference-free reception and space for dozens of stations in the bandwidth that carries a mere two or three analog equivalents. The technology is so promising that in the United States several groups are scheduled to make digital radio widely available in a year or so. But British broadcasters have beaten the Yanks-and the rest of the world-to the punch.

The United Kingdom has staked its claim as the birthplace of digital radio following the launch of the first stations available exclusively via digital broadcast. With digital services elsewhere in the world still at an experimental stage, the British broadcasters-including the venerable BBC-hope they have, literally, set a standard others will quickly follow.