Following the HFCC A19 HF radio coordination conference held in Tunis from Jan. 21-25, 2019, our partner Milano Ventures Ltd. published an interesting article giving both listeners and international broadcasters a perspective of current International media delivery trends and focusing on the importance of analogue Shortwave.

“… there can be no direct replacement of Shortwave as the first line of international broadcasting, especially for most of Africa, some regions in Asia, Pacific and South America and worldwide in case of political or religious instability, regional or widespread conflict and calamities.

Even in the most developed countries in North America and Europe shortwave still reaches a niche group of information savvy, culture and news addict people in search of first-hand news and information not available elsewhere.”

We share this view and believe there is still no other cost-effective media than Shortwave that can bridge the digital divide, considering that according to the World Bank database (2016) World Internet coverage is just 45%, less than 20% in sub-Saharan Africa, and 25% in South Asia. Read more about the Future of Shortwave on Milano Ventures’ website. Also including our perspective on DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) and digital radio receivers.

2016 World data on Internet penetration

Individuals using the Internet (% of the population)
Source: The World Bank

NEXUS-IBA, the Home of International Broadcasting on AM and Shortwave