According to SPIN, Norway will be the first country eliminate FM radio. This process was agreed in Parliament in 2011 and started in the early months of 2015, and will be expected to finish in the late months of 2017, even though some stations will still be available on FM till 2022.
This decision was made based on the country’s economy. In a report created by the Guardian, the cost of FM is higher than that of digital-only broadcast, and more than half of Norwegians listens to the second version rather than the first. In order to make this switch happen, the national radio networks began switching to Digital Audio Broadcasting, also known as DAB. This transition has already took effect in Bodø.
Even though this transition has already began, there is still disagreement between citizens, as only 17 percent of Norwegians are in favor of the eliminating process. This could be because not many people own these types of adapters, and buying one would range around $175 to $230.
This transfer has shifted other countries, such as Switzerland, Britain and Denmark, to act on the current FM radio. These countries have discussed plans to eliminate FM similar to how Norway is in the process.