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Switchdigital

DAB multiplex operator

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionMar 3, 2026
Entity authorityQ57166991
Source-derived summary

Switchdigital is an operator of DAB ensembles in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1998 by the Wireless Group, Virgin Radio and Clear Channel International and is owned by News Broadcasting. As of October 2000, it was 55% owned by Wireless Group, 20% owned by Capital Radio and Clear Channel International each and 5% owned by Carphone Warehouse.

Multiplexes

Aberdeen

Switchdigital was one of two applicants for the licence to broadcast in the Aberdeen area along with Scottish Radio Holdings-owned Score Digital, ultimately being granted the licence on 6 April 2001. The multiplex started broadcasting on 3 December of that year.

Central Scotland

On 6 October 2000, Switchdigital was granted the licence to broadcast in the Central Scotland area covering the Central Belt – including Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling – having been the only candidate for the regional multiplex. It started broadcasting on 5 July 2001 and is the last regional DAB multiplex in the UK following the cessation of MXR's Yorkshire ensemble in June 2015.

London

Switchdigital operates one of three London-wide multiplexes alongside CE Digital and DRG London. While its initial application for a licence to broadcast in the area was unsuccessful, it was ultimately successful in a subsequent bid on 7 April 2000. It started broadcasting on 26 June of that year.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Switchdigital” as dAB multiplex operator. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA practical starting point whose main value is the path it opens into stronger specialist and primary sources. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1998, 2000, 2001, 2015—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1998. The account is most persuasive where Switchdigital, multiplex and operator can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as dAB multiplex operator. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 3, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q57166991. Authority coordinates are 51.506, -0.107. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2015.

Critical limits

The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Switchdigital”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Switchdigital primary sources, Switchdigital archive and Switchdigital research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Switchdigital”?
  2. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
  3. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Switchdigital” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.