Sprint Agrees to FM Radio Chip Deal for Future Smartphones with Emmis Communications

[dgstorm]

The first step in the quest to bring an analog FM radio chip to our smartphones was just undertaken by Sprint. Previously, we shared with you a story about a company called Emmis Communications. This small startup is working hard to get good quality analog FM radio chips into smartphones. This is so users don't have to eat up their precious data minutes just to hear the radio. They were able to work out a deal with Sprint to get the ball rolling. Here are a couple of quotes with more details,

Sprint has agreed to activate FM analog tuners in a total of some 30 million devices over three years. The carrier will determine which models get chips, but Brenner said devices will include smartphones and possibly tablets and “phablets,” which are large form-factor phones.

Free local FM radio would be delivered on these devices through apps like one Emmis is developing called NextRadio. Consumers today who want to hear radio stations on most smartphones must do it via streaming and thus incur data charges.

Here's some additional info,

Emmis has helped lead the effort to convince wireless companies to offer over-the-air FM reception of local radio signals; the Sprint development is seen as its first big win. For such reception to be possible, though, the consumer will need an app to play that content. Multiple companies could develop such apps.

Emmis has been working on its NextRadio app in hopes it will be adopted by others in radio. The app will allow playback of all local FM signals but also provide access to enhanced features that connect to a multitude of content types on the Internet.

Asked whether NextRadio was part of the Sprint agreement, Brenner said, “NextRadio has been presented as a universal FM radio application with the ability to present a common-listener experience and mobile advertising features synchronized with over-the-air radio. Sprint will launch with NextRadio because they need a single party to represent this commercialized application.”

In addition to the ad time promised by the agreement, Sprint will receive 30 percent of the revenue from ads on the app. Emmis will manage that traffic, make sure Sprint gets its money and receive a small management fee, presumably from broadcasters that use the app. The yet-unspecified fee would apply only to stations that use Emmis’ TagStation software in conjunction with the the NextRadio app; conceivably, stations could do this on their own instead, but they would need to develop an app that complies with Sprint’s specs, he said.

It will be interesting to see if they can get any of the other carriers to try this out. Perhaps there's a bigger market for this concept than many of us realize.

Thanks for the tip, Str8Aro!

Source: RadioWorld

 

[tommyz]

I don't get it. If you're going to bother putting a FM radio chip into the phone, why isn't it capable of receiving HD Radio.

 

[lloydstrans]

The Nokia n900 had an FM transceiver built in, not a typo, you could also broadcast on FM radio, all of about 25 feet. Took two different apps to utilize, one for FM reception and one for talking on the radio. I'm all for built in FM radios. Bring it on.

If it's not HD it might as well be a newspaper.

 

[PereDroid]

The first step in the quest to bring an analog FM radio chip to our smartphones was just undertaken by Sprint.

I'm confused by this statement. HTC has been putting FM Radio in their phones since the HTC Incredible. My Incredible 2 has an FM radio. It's not just an app using data, but an FM radio that uses the headphones as an antenna.
No HD or RDS but it works great when I am at a Browns game.

 

[PereDroid]

Screenie

 

[jroc]

I'm confused by this statement. HTC has been putting FM Radio in their phones since the HTC Incredible. My Incredible 2 has an FM radio. It's not just an app using data, but an FM radio that uses the headphones as an antenna.
No HD or RDS but it works great when I am at a Browns game.

Maybe it should say ...bring it back? Moto was doing it too. The Bionic is the last Moto phone that has one, I think. My Droid X1 has one. Some versions of the Galaxy S has it too. HTC and Moto has kinda stopped tho. My Rezound didnt have it. Whatever all this means....I hope Verizon gets in on it.

 

[DesktopDevin]

I really have not understood why it has taken so long to get this feature on a smartphone, I had a Nokia 8238i before my OG droid which had a FM radio built into it and it was less then half the size and weight compared to the any of the smallest of droid phones.

(Just read the post above mine, didn't realize the HTC had fm radios available)

 

[comk4ver]

I concur the only conceivable reason to refrain from using Fm radio on phones would be the lack of ability to profit from said item or not enough customer feedback on this feature. I loved it on my droid x and hated the fact that it was tied to moto blur. The government really should make this a mandatory standard on all cellphones and tablets because in a national emergency it would be a faster form of communication.

 

[52brandon]

strange that the carrier that is really pushing for an FM chip that doesn't burn data is one with unlimited data, so it won't make a difference to consumers...

 

[Quicksilver7714]

Chip Deal for Future Smartphones with Emmis Communications

While this is nice I still have my unlimited data and I just paid for Pandora One last month. So I'm good for now.

Beamed from the Nexus Galaxy.