It's official - IBOC is the standard in Mexico!

[elchupacabras]

COFETEL, the government ministry in charge of communications, has made it official: IBOC is the technology of choice for Mexican broadcasters. The country will now begin the slow process of transition. IBOC has been used experimentally in the D.F. and with the blessing of COFETEL on the border.

http://laradioenmexico.com/optan-por-iboc-para-radio-digital/

 

[fredcantu]

Maybe Mexico will allow more power for the Hybrid Digital signal. 1% of the main channel's power just isn't working in the USA.

 

[tomservo]

So what's the value of implementing digital radio in a country that's still pretty much in the third world?

I don't mean that as anti-HD snark, either, it's a serious question.

 

[w9wi]

COFETEL, the government ministry in charge of communications, has made it official: IBOC is the technology of choice for Mexican broadcasters. The country will now begin the slow process of transition. IBOC has been used experimentally in the D.F. and with the blessing of COFETEL on the border.

It should be noted (unless my Spanish is worse than I think) that IBOC has been adopted *only for FM*, they are not allowing it on AM stations. Indeed, if i was reading properly in their recent decision to try to move as many AM stations as possible to FM, one of the reasons was to allow those stations to go digital.

Similar decisions have been reached in Canada.

I think it was probably unreasonable to expect any other decision, in either country. The USA is the 2-ton gorilla in terms of technical standards for broadcasting in North America. Choose a different standard in another NA country, and you're losing access to the huge economy of scale involved with receivers for the U.S. market. Canada, unfortunately, has learned that the hard way.

 

[davideduardo]

So what's the value of implementing digital radio in a country that's still pretty much in the third world?

I don't mean that as anti-HD snark, either, it's a serious question.

Mexico is not third world; parts of Mexico are, and there is poverty beyond what we are used to in the US but the US is not the sole standard for being part of any group.

If you consider that Italy and Spain are first world, Mexico (and Brazil) approach that standard based on GDP and other standards. So do Argentina and Chile among Latin American countries. In fact, compare the GDP of Mexico with that of India, which has 10 times the population, and you will see that Mexico is quite close and way ahead on CSI indexing.

Mexico has higher cell phone penetration than the US, in fact.

 

[davideduardo]

It should be noted (unless my Spanish is worse than I think) that IBOC has been adopted *only for FM*, they are not allowing it on AM stations. Indeed, if i was reading properly in their recent decision to try to move as many AM stations as possible to FM, one of the reasons was to allow those stations to go digital.

The key issue is that Mexico fully desires to move all AM stations to FM. Of course, even with the proposed redistribution of channels in the big cities, some AMs will be left. But in the first region that was converted, every AM in 4 states is moving to FM, and there will be none at all left in the entire Southeast of Mexico.

It's understandable that noting is being done to further cement the infrastructure on AM. The digital band was tried in Canada, and failed to get traction, and that is what Mexico likely is observing... remove AM except in the largest cities, and give a digital option.

 

[tomservo]

So what's the value of implementing digital radio in a country that's still pretty much in the third world?

I don't mean that as anti-HD snark, either, it's a serious question.

Mexico is not third world; parts of Mexico are, and there is poverty beyond what we are used to in the US but the US is not the sole standard for being part of any group.

If you consider that Italy and Spain are first world, Mexico (and Brazil) approach that standard based on GDP and other standards. So do Argentina and Chile among Latin American countries. In fact, compare the GDP of Mexico with that of India, which has 10 times the population, and you will see that Mexico is quite close and way ahead on CSI indexing.

Mexico has higher cell phone penetration than the US, in fact.

Fair enough, but it is safe to say the standard of living in a good bit of Mexico is well below that of the US or Canada. Will it only be reasonable to install the HD system in large cities? That seems to be how it's going in the US and even here there seems to be little return on investment so far. I wanna know if the Mexican people, in yours/anyones opinion, will more readily accept and embrace this technology.

 

[elchupacabras]

So what's the value of implementing digital radio in a country that's still pretty much in the third world?

I don't mean that as anti-HD snark, either, it's a serious question.

Mexico is not third world; parts of Mexico are, and there is poverty beyond what we are used to in the US but the US is not the sole standard for being part of any group.

If you consider that Italy and Spain are first world, Mexico (and Brazil) approach that standard based on GDP and other standards. So do Argentina and Chile among Latin American countries. In fact, compare the GDP of Mexico with that of India, which has 10 times the population, and you will see that Mexico is quite close and way ahead on CSI indexing.

Mexico has higher cell phone penetration than the US, in fact.

Fair enough, but it is safe to say the standard of living in a good bit of Mexico is well below that of the US or Canada. Will it only be reasonable to install the HD system in large cities? That seems to be how it's going in the US and even here there seems to be little return on investment so far. I wanna know if the Mexican people, in yours/anyones opinion, will more readily accept and embrace this technology.

Living in Mexico, I might be able to answer that. First of all, as David alluded to, there are areas of Mexico where the standard of living is significantly HIGHER than that of the U.S. Go to Lomas de Chapultapec in Mexico City, or to parts of Monterrey, Cuernavaca, or any major urban center, and you will find out that is the case.

The city I live in has an an average income of nearly 17,000 dollars per year, placing it in the same category as Eastern Europe. Some of the private high schools here charge more than $1,500 dollars a month for tuition! I lived in another town a year ago, where you couldn't touch any city property for under $250,000 dollars, and that was on the low end.

Yes, there is poverty, and there is much social injustice, but Mexico in many categories is nearly better off than many other Latin nations, including Argentina. Something that would have been preposterous a few decades ago. And the world's richest man, Carlos Slim, hails from Mexico.

Regarding acceptance of the technology: it will all depend on marketing. Radio (at least FM, AM is dead with anyone under 40 down here) is still very strong, much stronger than in the United States. If the broadcast companies market it properly, and HD is quickly integrated into the cell phones, it will take off much stronger than in the U.S. Cell phones (and expensive ones at that) are considered a status symbol of sorts, and if teens and adults want to show they are really "hip," they look for more features on such phones, which are readily available across the country.

One final note: my understanding is that the term 'third world' was originally invented to refer to nations during the Cold War that did not have nuclear technology. In that sense, perhaps your ill characterization fits. But in today's parlance, it is patently offensive. I know that was probably not your intention, but living down here it kind of stings.

 

[tomservo]

It certainly wasn't my intention to offend with that terminology and I apologise if it was taken the wrong way.

 

[elchupacabras]

Here's a great article on IBOC in Mexico from the latest Radio World: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newbay/rw_20100407/#/45/OnePage

 

[Mediafrog+]

The key issue is that Mexico fully desires to move all AM stations to FM. Of course, even with the proposed redistribution of channels in the big cities, some AMs will be left. But in the first region that was converted, every AM in 4 states is moving to FM, and there will be none at all left in the entire Southeast of Mexico.

It's understandable that noting is being done to further cement the infrastructure on AM. The digital band was tried in Canada, and failed to get traction, and that is what Mexico likely is observing... remove AM except in the largest cities, and give a digital option.

David, where can we find more details on this big migration to FM? Has it been determined which stations move and which stay? And is there a timetable? And are any other Latin American countries considering the same thing? We have already seen the die-off of most of the domestic shortwave broadcasting stations in the Western Hemisphere, many of which shut down in favor of FM.

 

[davideduardo]

The key issue is that Mexico fully desires to move all AM stations to FM. Of course, even with the proposed redistribution of channels in the big cities, some AMs will be left. But in the first region that was converted, every AM in 4 states is moving to FM, and there will be none at all left in the entire Southeast of Mexico.

It's understandable that noting is being done to further cement the infrastructure on AM. The digital band was tried in Canada, and failed to get traction, and that is what Mexico likely is observing... remove AM except in the largest cities, and give a digital option.

David, where can we find more details on this big migration to FM? Has it been determined which stations move and which stay? And is there a timetable? And are any other Latin American countries considering the same thing? We have already seen the die-off of most of the domestic shortwave broadcasting stations in the Western Hemisphere, many of which shut down in favor of FM.

The legislation and the rules are on the SCT site (this entity has as a division the equivalent of the US' FCC). There is periodic news on the CIRT, the Mexican equivalent of the NAB.

The transition is being done by region, one after another. The first region, the states of Yucatan, Campeche, Quintana Roo and Tabasco, has been completed, and every AM there was given a permit to move to FM.

The procedure, in simplified form, is to open the application period and accept applications from all stations that want to migrate. In each case, a fee for the government is determined based on the value of the increased income producing ability of an FM ("rentabilidad") and this must be guaranteed before the procedure is finalized. In the event that there are not enough FM channels, even after reorganizing the band, then there is a procedure to determine who gets to move and who does not.

From what I am aware of, there is no organized migration from AM to FM elsewhere in Latin America; in most places the FM band is already full and so AMs are dying off with, sometimes, the programming going to an FM. As an example, about 75% of the remaining AMs on the air in El Salvador are religious... two of the major AM networks of the past are simply gone. In other places, like Chile and Ecuador, AMs, particularly those on the high end of the dial in larger cities, are going silent. In Santiago, a 100 kw AM on 1060, one of the first on the air almost 90 years ago, shut down saying that AM was no longer viable (Radio Minería).

 

[tomservo]

Are there any places in Central or South America where AM is still really popular, besides the larger cities?

 

[davideduardo]

Are there any places in Central or South America where AM is still really popular, besides the larger cities?

In Argentina, AM has just about half the audience. The ten or so major AMs are big power facilities, most being 50 kw and one is 100 kw. They all do news/talk or sports, and have large news staffs... the leading station has about 25 people just for the morning news and commentary block. News/talk has always been popular there, and the population is highly educated and there is a huge middle class.

Brazil has some pretty popular AM's, but nothing like Argentina. Again, the attraction is news, talk and sports.

Chile, Bolivia and Paraguay have mostly moved to FM, except for some rural areas of Bolivia. Peru has its only AM attraction moving to FM with its national news network. Ecuador, AM is dead. Colombia, a few of the big network AMs with news and sports do well, but the rest barely survive, and many are cutting power to cut costs. Venezuela is not worth considering, as so many stations of all kinds have been closed by the govenment.

No AM in Central America is doing very well... a huge percentage are now evangelical religious stations.

In many countries, FM coverage via networks and repeaters is better and more reliable than AM ever was. And most have so many FMs that AM is not needed.

 

[fredcantu]

>the leading station has about 25 people just for the morning news and commentary block.

It's nice to know that some people still believe in putting that kind of effort into local programming. Here in the USA even the most financially successful stations think nothing of filling their schedule with outsourced programs.

 

[Ai4i]

As for finding space on the FM dial for all the AM stations, I would offer two suggestions.
Since they are switching to iBOC at the same time, at least four AM stations can fit on each FM station: HD1, HD2, HD3, HD4
I do not know if Mexico has sunset or is going to sunset analog TV, but in the US, lots of folks are talking about trying to lower the bottom edge of the FM band to either 82 MHz or even 76 MHz.

 

[w9wi]

As for finding space on the FM dial for all the AM stations, I would offer two suggestions.
Since they are switching to iBOC at the same time, at least four AM stations can fit on each FM station: HD1, HD2, HD3, HD4
I do not know if Mexico has sunset or is going to sunset analog TV, but in the US, lots of folks are talking about trying to lower the bottom edge of the FM band to either 82 MHz or even 76 MHz.

Mexico is indeed sunsetting analog TV.

 

[davideduardo]

As for finding space on the FM dial for all the AM stations, I would offer two suggestions.
Since they are switching to iBOC at the same time, at least four AM stations can fit on each FM station: HD1, HD2, HD3, HD4

In most parts of Mexico, the studies have shown that all AMs can move to FM; Mexico has different spacing standards and, except of a few major cities, the country's AMs can all be moved to full FM facilities, not HD channels.

The legal process has already been completed for the first zone, the 4 southeastern states of Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Campeche and Tabasco, and all AMs are going to move to FM. The full allocation transition, divided into zones, will be done in about 2 years, with some additional time for all stations to move.

 

[elchupacabras]

Just moved to Quintana Roo and was checking out the newly migrated stations. There are a handful of them, but the signals are dismal. I'm not sure what their power levels are, but I would doubt that a lot of the local frequencies have more than 1500 watts. They serve the local "pueblitos" (which usually is sufficient), but that's about it. It's hard to hear stations from Cancun, Cozumel or Tulum, which are less than 60 kms away, even with a good car radio. I'm guessing some better engineering and HAAT placement could have helped a few of them serve the region a little better. Many are also linked up with the Sistema Quintanrooense de Comunicaciones, sharing news and info. resources. Even getting closer to the signals, you can often hear some multi-path, which is strange, because the area is essentially flat.

 

[travisl5678]

Is there any HDs either running or planed in mexico?