In Brazil, the FM extended band (), abbreviated eFM, refers to the extension of the

FM broadcast band The FM broadcast band is a range of radio frequencies used for FM broadcasting by radio stations. The range of frequencies used differs between different parts of the world. In Europe and Africa (defined as International Telecommunication Union ( ...

between 76.1 and 87.3

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base u ...

, beyond the conventional band of 87.5 to 108 MHz that was previously used. The reclaimed spectrum was previously used to broadcast analog television channels 5 and 6 before the country's

digital television transition The digital television transition, also called the digital switchover (DSO), the analogue switch/sign-off (ASO), the digital migration, or the analogue shutdown, is the process in which older analogue television broadcasting technology is con ...

. The first eFM stations began broadcasting on May 7, 2021, and the spectrum is being used as part of a plan to migrate AM stations to the FM band.

History

The idea of converting the former channels 5 and 6 for sound broadcasting use had been first floated in Brazil in 2013, as a method to support AM stations by migrating them to FM; that year, President

Dilma Rousseff Dilma Vana Rousseff (; born 14 December 1947) is a Brazilian economist and politician who served as the 36th president of Brazil from 2011 until her impeachment and removal from office on 31 August 2016. She is the only woman to have held the ...

signed a law that started the AM–FM migration process in Brazil. Since then, 1,720 of the country's 1,781 AM outlets have requested migration, including in areas where no further FM stations could be added.

Jovem Pan Jovem Pan is the main Brazilian radio station based in São Paulo, Brazil. The network has several bureaus, 109 affiliated stations all over Brazil. Jovem Pan broadcasts through satellite digital quality sound reaching more than 25 million listen ...

News in

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

was allowed by the

Ministry of Communications A Communications Ministry or Department of Communications is a ministry or other government agency charged with communication. Communications responsibilities include regulating telecommunications, postal services, broadcasting and print media. The ...

to conduct tests on 84.7 MHz in 2014. In 2017, a decree was issued that required all new radios produced in the

Free Economic Zone of Manaus The Free Economic Zone of Manaus (, - ZFM) is a free economic zone in the city of Manaus, the capital of the State of Amazonas, Northern Brazil. The initial idea, a free trade port in Manaus, came from Deputy Francisco Pereira da Silva and was s ...

beginning on January 1, 2019, to support tuning the extended band. By 2019, some makers of new automobiles, including Ford and Hyundai, and stereo manufacturer

Pioneer Corporation , is a Japanese multinational corporation based in Tokyo, that specializes in digital entertainment products. The company was founded by Nozomu Matsumoto on January 1, 1938 in Tokyo as a radio and Loudspeaker, speaker repair shop. Its current pr ...

were producing radios that supported the new band. Necessary regulatory changes by the National Telecommunications Agency (ANATEL) came into effect on November 3, 2020. The new frequencies will support AM–FM migration in parts of Brazil where there is insufficient room to migrate stations on the standard band alone, which is the case in 14 states. However, they will not be accessible on all radio receivers, including smartphones, if these cannot be updated or replaced. On May 7, 2021, the first ten stations began broadcasting on the extended band. Five, all on 87.1 MHz, are owned by the

public broadcaster Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive ...

Brazil Communication Company Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth-largest country by area and the seventh-largest by population, with over 212 million people. The country is a federation c ...

(EBC). Four of those five are being used to rebroadcast Rádio Nacional's AM service, while the fifth has been designated to Rádio MEC in

Brasília Brasília ( ; ) is the capital city, capital of Brazil and Federal District (Brazil), Federal District. Located in the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region, it was founded by President Juscelino ...

, which already had Rádio Nacional AM on the FM band. The other five stations are existing AM stations. It is planned that future highway advisory radio services use an eFM channel; only one such service exists in Brazil, .

References

{{Audio broadcasting Radio in Brazil Bandplans Broadcast engineering 2013 establishments in Brazil 2019 establishments in Brazil 2021 establishments in Brazil