MuxCo Sussex & Surrey

MuxCo (Sussex & Surrey)
Licensed area	Surrey & North Sussex
Frequency	10B (211.648 MHz) / 10C (213.360 MHz)
Air date	Yet to Launch (Delayed)
Owner	MuxCo / UKRD
Website	www.muxco.com

MuxCo (Sussex & Surrey), as the name suggests, is the name of the DAB multiplex operator for Surrey and North Sussex. It serves an area similar to the analogue area served by Heart Sussex and Surrey (formerly Mercury FM) and 96.4 The Eagle.

The DAB licence was advertised by Ofcom on December 19, 2007. At the close on March 26, 2008, the regulator had received only one application, from MuxCo (Sussex & Surrey), a consortium made up of two companies - UKRD owning 50% with transmitter company National Grid Wireless owning the other 50%. They had to wait until April 22, 2008, before they were confirmed as having won the licence.

Under the original proposals it was to be one of the rare licences which uses two frequencies, with Block 10C serving the Western parts (served by 96.4 The Eagle) with Block 10B serving the Eastern parts (Heart Sussex and Surrey). Four transmitters were confirmed as carrying the platform initially; Guildford, Reigate, Midhurst and Leatherhead.

However, in 2010 MuxCo announced their intention to apply to Ofcom to alter the multiplex area to cover the county of Surrey only, feeling it would make more sense for North Sussex to be covered by an extension of the existing NOW Sussex Coast multiplex. ^[1].

As such, following the publication of their consultation document 'An Approach to DAB coverage planning', published in June 2011, Ofcom now propose using Block 10C only, and for the multiplex to be scaled back to cover Surrey and North-East Hampshire only. This would allow the DRG London multiplex to change from Block 11B to Block 10B, thus allowing NOW Sussex Coast on Block 11B to be extended across the whole of East and West Sussex.^[2][3][4]

As required, the local BBC service, BBC Surrey, has to be carried on this platform.

Services expected to be on the platform

^[5] (Adjusted to reflect the way UK radio is now)

Unless indicated, the following services are expected to be carried on both frequencies.

Service	Service Type	Signal	Bit-Rate	NOTES
BBC Surrey	BBC Local service	Joint Stereo	128 kbit/s	Also on FM 104.0 (Reigate) & 104.6 (Guildford) & AM - 1368
96.4 Eagle Radio	Full Service	Joint Stereo	128 kbit/s	Also on FM - 96.4
County Sound Radio	Classic Hits	Joint Stereo	128 kbit/s	Also on AM - 1566
Heart Sussex and Surrey	Contemporary Hit Music	Joint Stereo	128 kbit/s	Also on 102.7.
Easy Radio	Easy Listening	mono	96 kbit/s	Provided by London Media Company (Sunrise)
NME Radio	Modern Rock	mono	96 kbit/s	Now on Digital One.
Traffic Radio	Travel Reports	mono	48 kbit/s	Travel service.
Shuffle	Youth	Stereo	128 kbit/s	Provided by MuxCo.
Podcast Service	various	mono	16-80 kbit/s	Depending on service.

Transmitter sites

These are the only confirmed transmitter sites at present:^[6]

Transmitter	KW	AREA
Guildford	?	Depending on strength.
Reigate	?	Depending on strength.
Midhurst	?	Sussex Downs
Leatherhead	?	Leatherhead & Epsom

References

1. ^ MuxCo - North Sussex and Surrey
2. ^ Radio DSO Block 10C Surrey
3. ^ Radio DSO Block 11B Sussex
4. ^ Radio DSO Block 10B London
5. ^ radiotoday.co.uk
6. ^ muxco website 2009