Digital One has reached 80% transmission coverage of the UK mainland population by switching on four new transmitters. Digital radio is now available to a potential 44.85m people in the UK, although only a fraction of this number have the equipment to listen to digital radio broadcasts.
The licence requirement for Digital One is to reach 85% coverage by 2002. The operator, along with NTL, began transmitting digital services in November 1999, with five services covering 69% of the population. The process of expansion meant an average of two transmitters per month were rolled out to reach the current total of 46. The eventual number of live transmitters planned is 70.
The transmitters just switched on were at Keighley in Yorkshire, Salisbury in Wiltshire, Purdown in Bristol and Bath in Avon.
