ABSTRACT
General Instruments, whose Jerrold Division builds and sells cable converters, also has a communications division that provides digital radio to cable households in Pennsylvania and Florida. Other USA companies reportedly starting up digital cable radio services are Digital Radio Labs, International Cablecasting Technologies, and Satellite CD Radio. Digital Radio is transmitted directly by satellite in Japan also. Starting in December 1990, the Satellite Digital Audio Broadcasting Company began the world’s first satellite digital radio station, Radio GIGA. Partly owned by Japan Satellite Broadcasting, which has also inaugurated DBS-TV service, Radio GIGA began scrambling its commercial-free broadcasts in April 1991, when it expanded its service from twelve hours daily to round-the-clock music. Even though Digital Cable Radio and Digital Satellite Radio are in their infancy, they already face competition, from over-the-air broadcasting done digitally.
