The UK government has cancelled its initial plan of completely discontinuing the use of FM and AM radio stations and replacing them strictly with DAB digital radio. Licenses for analogue radio stations will now be given an extension of 10 years, according to a government statement.

This will allow older cars with radio systems not equipped with digital radio features to continue receiving analogue radio signals up until 2032.

One of the main reasons for the reversal is the pace with which radio stations are transitioning to DAB digital radio, which is slower than expected. At the moment, 58 per cent of British radio listening takes place on DAB digital, which is significant but not enough to merit the complete discontinuation of analogue radio for the time being.