The British radio industry is considering a scrapping scheme for analog radios, inspired by the schemes used for cars in several countries.

The UK government has proposed 2015 as the year when most analog radio signals will be shut down. The final decision will be made when more than half of radio listening is digital. Currently, terrestrial DAB, satellite and the Internet only represent 20% of radio consumption.

There are an estimated 100 million analog radio sets in the UK and the new proposal from industry group Digital Radio UK is seen as a way to drive the uptake of digital radio. Digital Radio UK has already held discussions with retailers and leading manufacturers. One idea that has come up in the discussions is to collect the analog radios and send them to an African country.