On previous occasions we have come across laws that go beyond the development of technology, adding in 2021 a new Law that requires new mobiles to arrive without FM Radio . This rule can create a lot of controversy, starting with the manufacturers and ending with the users, although it is difficult for us to see the negative or positive points that FM Radio has to have to eliminate it.
Certain nuances must be made, since the Law that establishes this rule has been drawn up and promoted in Italy, but it could end up directly affecting Spain and all of Europe in just a few weeks. We live in a highly globalized world and especially within Europe, technological developments are closely related to all countries. In any case, doubts about this Law force us to ask ourselves several questions.
How Law 205/2017, which eliminates FM Radio, affects us
The Law establishes that mobile phones that have been sold before January 1, 2021 may continue to use FM Radio with full legality and without any problem, worse, however, all those that are manufactured or shipped after this date, may not include the FM Radio technology . This is not something easy for manufacturers, because stores will go from one day to the next from having legal mobiles to illegal mobiles.
Although in Spain the Law is not imposed, manufacturers have had to take the reins in the matter, so that by January 1, their products in Italy are not illegal and they are sending updates to mobile phones to enable FM Radio in all those that make up the chip. These updates mean that they must be modified especially for Italy, costing a higher maintenance investment for brands, which could lead them to eliminate FM Radio via software on mobiles throughout Europe to cut costs.
A future without FM Radio?
Manufacturers will keep this Law in mind in future models and if it is already difficult to find mobile phones with integrated FM Radio, now the decision not to add FM Radio to mobile phones may be easier to make in the manufacture of devices. Instead of having to assemble totally different mobiles for Italy and Spain, they could choose to eliminate FM Radio from all mobiles and save space at the same time as an expense.
Why have they banned FM Radio on mobiles
Even with serious doubts about what this Law will bring, another question that we can ask ourselves and with many reasons is why it has been decided in Italy to include this legislation. The FM Radio apparently does not harm anyone and it is a function that users enjoy on a daily basis so as not to have to resort to the online connection and therefore consume data from their rate.
The only explanation we know about the article of Law 205/2017 is that it is a modification in the radio transmission to improve the results. This Law has been developed for the benefit of technological advances, offering manufacturers the possibility of replacing it with DAB + technology (digital audio transmission) which improves results in tunnels, houses and places with poor signal. This option has been on the market for several years, but nevertheless it has not been widely used in mobile phones and we can only remember the LG Stylus 2 as one of those that integrates it.
The problem with this technology is that it requires space for the installation of an additional antenna and a dedicated chip, as well as being a component that greatly increases the price and increases the thickness of the devices. For these reasons, it seems unlikely that manufacturers will make the leap to DAB + and are only limited to eliminating FM Radio from mobiles.