New FM radio frequency regime with clear reception countrywide goes live from tomorrow

Benefitting an effective and highly competitive industry the new FM radio frequency network assuring clearer reception countrywide will go live from tomorrow.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission said that it has successfully developed the new FM broadcast plan in an effort to minimise the technical problems hindering listeners from obtaining clear sound reception.

This was under the National Telecommunications Policy drawn on the instructions of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and executed under the direction of Secretary to President Lalith Weeratunga.

The existing frequency separation of 100 khz between two channels has now been increased to 300 khz and TRC said this new arrangement would enable the listeners to get clearer reception in any part of the country from any single frequency. At present there are nearly 50 FM broadcasting channels, which operate within the 87.5 to 108 MHz frequency range.

TRC said it prepared a new transparent plan to reallocate the frequencies among the FM channels in the country, taking into account the frequencies used by them at present. This was done on the basis of a national policy to reform the existing system, aimed at minimising the practical problems currently confronting both the radio broadcasters and the listeners.

“I am happy to say that TRC received the fullest cooperation from all the radio broadcasters in the challenging task undertaken to establish a clear and comprehensive FM radio network,” TRC Director General Anusha Palpita said.

Under the new regime, the frequencies have been allocated in such a manner to ensure that all FM radio channels could be accessed with ease and sound broadcast from these channels is clearly received and heard by listeners without loss of quality in any part of the country, including remote areas. The TRC is vested with full powers to determine and allocate the use of FM frequencies among radio broadcasters within Sri Lanka.