AT&T Signs On to Activate FM Radio Chips in Phones

RADIO ONLINE | Tuesday, July 28, 2015

NextRadio has announced that AT&T is the latest phone carrier to take a proactive stance by including FM chip activation in their 2016 smartphone device specs. This is a big milestone for the radio industry and all the work by the radio industry and support for this initiative seems to be paying off. "We are so pleased AT&T is taking a proactive stance by including FM Chip activation in their 2016 device specifications," said the NextRadio and TagStation teams.

The change will have to be made by the OEMs (smartphone makers) and by having the support of carriers like Sprint and AT&T putting it in their specifications it increases the probability of getting the FM Chip turned on. NextRadio has already experienced handset makers activating it across all carriers, (for example, new models of HTC One and Moto phones) and the AT&T request fuels the support and progress being made.

The next step, NextRadio said, is for AT&T to communicate their request to manufacturers to activate the existing FM chip in Android smartphones. We will be working over the next few months with their smartphone partners to begin the work of activating FM Radio and NextRadio on as many devices as possible. The activation timing is expected for all new Android smartphones releasing in 2016, with a chance of some phones being ready by year-end.

NextRadio now says that it's "imperative" that stations keep running the NextRadio and FreeRadioOnMyPhone.org radio spots. Research has indicated that listeners want FM radio on their smartphones, and they will listen when it is activated. The radio spots can be found at www.nextradioapp.com/promote.

In response to the announcement, NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith said in a statement, "Today marks a new beginning in mobile technology with the agreement by a global iconic brand, AT&T, to light up the FM receiver chips in all of its future Android smartphones. With this decision, AT&T's customers become the biggest beneficiaries, giving them access to local radio news, entertainment, weather, and failsafe emergency alert connectivity. With access to apps like NextRadio, AT&T's listeners will also enjoy song tagging and interactivity features that have become increasingly popular with younger listeners.

AT&T's announcement today follows a 2013 announcement from Sprint to activate FM chips on select Android and Windows smartphones.