is DAB obsolete? formatizing the death of the radio

on digitalradio.ie FAQ the question is asked

Q: Will mobile phone technology make DAB digital radio obsolete?

[my answer] the real answer is No DAB is obsolete because it was invented in 1981-85 and first broadcast in 1998. In early 90’s I was in talks with a marketing company called Covenberg and they were trying to get local radio & rte into an Irish DAB alliance in advance of the onset of DAB. that was 16 years ago. not enough interest was shown at the time.

DAB in UK has happened and many say that the sound quality of BBC Radio 3 is greater on FM than on DAB. The future of Digital Radio is not DAB, the past history of digital radio is DAB. DRM and DRM plus are the future and offer more democratic access to the spectrum for micro local community and religious broadcasters along side big business radio. Big business radio can now use DAB to keep the services and multiplexes to them self force special interest off air in an analogue switch off and onto the internet where currently mobile access is limited to expensive. read more on DRM from Enda O’Kane [pdf]

Another future that the radio industry are not looking at is WiMax Mark Ramsey writes

It’s all about empowering the consumer to control his or her listening experience and dramatically enhancing the experience of radio by mashing up radio with IM and TXT and social networking and interactivity and pictures and video and dozens of other capabilities yet to be dreamed of.

I have been listening to digital radio for years with a dish. And im now getting all the normal radio channels and a few extras on the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) trials which is not a 100% mirror of the DAB trial.

DAB is of the Compact Disc age. We should not be going down a memory lane with it. Why would industry focus on something so old.. well if it keeps out the riff raff for another decade or so, then they can go on formatizing the death of the radio.