DAB+ Switzerland: Coverage, Receivers and the FM Switch-off in Practice

Two questions decide whether DAB+ works for a newcomer in Switzerland. Will the signal reach the flat, and will the radio in the box do anything with it? Coverage comes first below, then receivers, then what the FM switch-off changed. The basics are on the what is DAB+ page.

Coverage: how far DAB+ reaches

DAB+ coverage in Switzerland exceeds 99 percent of the population, according to SRF and dabplus.ch. SRF’s explainer dates from 2024, so the figure is the broadcaster’s own claim from that time. It does not guarantee a clean signal in every room.

The reasons for gaps are mostly physical. dabplus.ch notes that Minergie and concrete buildings dampen the signal. No single number replaces a check at your address.

Roads are covered too: since the end of 2019 all national road tunnels longer than 300 metres have DAB+, according to dabplus.ch.

How to check your own address

BAKOM, the Federal Office of Communications, publishes a map of radio and television transmitters on map.geo.admin.ch. Its page on transmitter locations explains that the map shows which transmitters and frequencies can be received at a place, and offers lists by location and frequency as downloads. For the stations in your region and language, dabplus.ch has a programme page with a filter.

The SRG transmitter network publishes its coverage maps at broadcast.ch. dabplus.ch links to them. The BAKOM map is the simplest tool to start with.

Networks and stations

dabplus.ch counts 12 language-regional and regional networks and 18 local ones, carrying more than 150 programmes. The SRG stations come in three language regions: SRF in German, RTS in French and RSI in Italian. Each network is a multiplex, a bundle of stations sent on one frequency block. The glossary entry for multiplex explains the term.

Receivers: what works

For DAB+ receivers in Switzerland one rule applies: the device must say DAB+, and a plus after the station name on the display confirms it. Every DAB+ radio also contains an FM tuner, per dabplus.ch. Features differ between models, but the label is the test. A phone cannot receive DAB+ at present, so there it is an app and internet radio.

For cars, an adapter on the AUX input is the usual retrofit, covered in DAB+ in the car. For rooms at home, what to check before buying lists what independent tests found.

Getting the best signal

dabplus.ch gives a short list that holds up in practice. Pull the antenna out fully and hang it vertically. Place the radio near a window. Keep it away from LED lamps and other interfering electronics. Run a new station scan whenever reception drops or you move the radio. If trouble persists, reset the radio to factory settings and scan again.

One difference from FM helps in diagnosis. DAB+ goes silent at a weak signal instead of crackling, as Kassensturz noted in 2019. Silence can therefore mean a weak signal, and moving the radio a metre often settles it. If it does not, the checklist for a radio that finds no stations goes further.

FM switch-off: what changed for reception

The FM switch-off prompted many residents to buy a receiver. swissinfo reported on 1 January 2025 that SRG had switched off about 850 FM transmitters, against about 260 antennas for DAB+. A radio without DAB+ therefore lost the SRG stations from 1 January 2025.

Parliament decided on 9 December 2025 to continue FM, and BAKOM issued SRG an FM licence on 18 September 2026. Whether and when SRG returns to FM is not confirmed. The FM switch-off page keeps the dated record. Until a start date exists, DAB+ and the internet carry the SRG programmes, and a DAB+ radio is the straightforward answer.

For one failing radio, the helpline run by SRG for DAB+ questions is 0848 040 102.