For Communities
This is for organisations like yours
For decades, getting a station onto DAB digital radio meant owning expensive transmitter infrastructure or paying large carriage fees to national multiplex operators. That put DAB out of reach for almost everyone except well-funded commercial broadcasters.
This is for organisations like yours
For decades, getting a station onto DAB digital radio meant owning expensive transmitter infrastructure or paying large carriage fees to national multiplex operators. That put DAB out of reach for almost everyone except well-funded commercial broadcasters.
Small-scale DAB changes that. Suffolk SSDAB East CIC will operate local multiplexes across West Suffolk, Central Suffolk and Ipswich/Felixstowe. Capacity on those multiplexes will be available to community organisations at a fraction of the cost of traditional DAB — making it genuinely viable for a Romanian community group, a mosque, a youth project or a school to run a real DAB station.
Who is this for?
A new route to digital radio for Suffolk
Community radio stations
Existing community radio stations broadcasting on FM or online can add DAB to their distribution, reaching more listeners without replacing what they already do.
Faith communities
A church, mosque, temple or other faith community could run a station serving their congregation and the wider community — in any language.
Cultural and language communities
Suffolk has significant Polish, Romanian, Portuguese and other communities. SSDAB makes it viable to run a station in your own language for your own community.
Schools and colleges
Educational institutions could run a student-led station as a real broadcast service, giving students hands-on experience of professional radio.
Charities and voluntary organisations
Charities and voluntary groups with something to say to their community can reach listeners on DAB without the cost of traditional broadcasting.
Specialist music services
Jazz, classical, folk, bhangra, gospel — whatever the genre, if there is an audience for it in Suffolk, SSDAB makes it possible to reach them on DAB.
How it works
Simple. Affordable. Local.
You do not need to own any transmitter equipment. You simply provide your audio stream and we broadcast it across the coverage area.
No transmitter costs
Suffolk SSDAB East CIC owns and operates the transmitter network. You pay only for your share of the multiplex capacity — not for infrastructure.
Reach real listeners
DAB radios are in the majority of UK homes and almost all new cars. Your station appears by name on every DAB radio in the coverage area.
No internet required
Unlike online streaming, DAB broadcast reaches listeners without an internet connection — including older listeners and those in areas with poor broadband.
What about Ofcom?
Small-scale DAB licences are awarded by Ofcom, the UK communications regulator. Suffolk SSDAB East CIC is at the pre-application stage. No licence has been awarded yet. Registering your interest now helps demonstrate local demand when we apply.
Interested in broadcasting on Suffolk DAB?
If you represent a community group, charity, faith organisation, school or radio station and you would like to know more, register your interest now. There is no commitment at this stage.