MuxCo North Wales

MuxCo (North Wales)
Licensed area	North & North West Wales
Frequency	10D (215.072 MHz) / 12D (229.072 MHz)
Air date	Yet to Launch
Owner	MuxCo / Town & Country Broadcasting
Website	www.muxco.com

MuxCo (North Wales), as the name suggests, is the name of the DAB multiplex operator for North Wales. The original licence area is similar to the analogue area served by Heart North Wales and Heart Cymru (formerly Coast 96.3 & Champion 103). It is one of the rare licences in which it uses two frequencies. Block 10D serves the North Western parts (the Champion 103 area) with Block 12D serving the Colwyn Bay analogue area (Formerly Coast 96.3).

The DAB licence was advertised by Ofcom on February 20, 2008. At the close on May 21, 2008, the regulator had received only one application, from MuxCo (North Wales). They had to wait until June 24, 2008, before they were confirmed as having won the licence.

In September 2010, MuxCo announced it had made an application to Ofcom to merge this multiplex with the North East Wales and West Cheshire broadcast area which is also licensed to MuxCo and yet to start transmitting, citing business viability and major changes in the radio industry since the license was awarded in 2008. Due to there being little variation in the services carried by the two neighbouring multiplexes and the challenging broadcast environment, it is now proposed that the new multiplex will begin broadcasting in early 2011, however initial coverage of Gwynedd and Anglesey is notably absent.

Services expected to be on the platform

^[1]

Confirmed services only. More are expected.

Service	Service Type	Signal	Bit-Rate	NOTES
BBC Radio Cymru	BBC Welsh-language regional service	Joint Stereo	TBC	On FM from all BBC national FM broadcast sites in Wales.
BBC Radio Wales	BBC English-language regional service	Joint Stereo	TBC	On 94.8FM from Llanddona and 95.4FM from Wrexham-Rhos, or 882 and 657 AM throughout Wales
Real Radio Wales	Adult Contemporary	TBC	TBC	Available across Wales on FM, also available South Wales on DAB.
Dee 106.3	Music and Information	TBC	TBC	On 106.3FM in Chester area
Juice FM	Youth culture and music	TBC	TBC	On 107.6FM in Liverpool area
Nation Radio	Alternative rock	TBC	TBC	On FM and DAB in South Wales
Shuffle	Youth culture and music	TBC	TBC	New station yet to begin broadcasting featuring music and information to the tastes of the under 35's.

Transmitter sites

There are four confirmed transmitter sites for the newly proposed multiplex at present covering 1.8 million adults across Merseyside, north east Cheshire and north Wales, with Arfon to come online after international frequency clearance with Ireland. ^[2]

Transmitter	KW	Area
Moel-y-Parc	TBC	North-East Wales
Great Ormes Head	TBC	Central coast incl. Colwyn Bay and Conwy Valley
Wrexham-Rhos	TBC	Wrexham county
St. John's Beacon	TBC	Merseyside

References

1. ^ muxco.com
2. ^ muxco.com