Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has signed Order No. 445-p, giving official governmental approval to the Digital Radio Mondial (DRM) digital radio system.

The order, signed on March 28, instructs the Ministry of Mass Media and Communication and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to devise during 2010–2011 national standards and a regulatory framework for the implementation of DRM broadcasting in the Russian Federation. The Federal Agency for Technical Regulation and Metrology was charged with ensuring the approval of the standards.

Russian foreign-service broadcaster Voice of Russia (VOR), a DRM Consortium member, has been broadcasting to Europe using DRM30 since April 2003; it also broadcasts digitally to China and India, and plans to add DRM30 broadcasts to Latin America and the Arab nations.

VOR Vice Chair Rachel Staviskaya stated on the VOR Web site that a larger base of DRM-capable receivers will be needed before Russia can shift fully to DRM.

“It should be noted that Russian manufacturers have already mastered the production of remarkable portable and automotive digital receivers that are in no way inferior in quality to European counterparts,” she stated.