27th September is a good day for birthdays. Not only is it the birthday of Internet Goliath Google, but it's also the date on which DAB radio was launched in the UK.

DAB radio was launched with a fanfare in London by the BBC on 27th September 1995 - 16 years ago. At the time, only the BBC multiplex was on-air carrying the existing analogue services. They were soon joined by BBC World Service and then by a rag tag collection of new services such as 5 Live Sports Extra and 6Music. On 15 November 1999 it was joined by the first national multiplex, Digital One.

So on the 16th birthday of DAB in the UK, how far has the service progressed? The following promotional script, leaked from the BBC, advertising DAB radio, says it all...

Fed up with FM radio? Had it with top presenters and big name artists? Are quality and professionalism beginning to bore you? Is high quality sound too run of the mill? Then maybe DAB radio is for you...

Gone are the crackles of FM reception, with DAB, it's bubbles you'll be hearing. And that's if you can get anything at all. The 'digital' nature of transmission means you'll either get something, or nothing at all (and usually it's the latter).

If you're used to digital mp3 audio, then you won't not be disappointed. Our state-of-the-ark mp2, low bit-rate, audio encoding will remind you less of modern day CD audio and instead bring back nostalgia for the cassette tapes your parents used to make in the 1980s.

And unlike regular radio broadcasters, DAB stations come and go at a whim. So if you find yourself liking a channel, get ready to be disappointed when it disappears. And you won't be able to use a cheap radio - you need specialist equipment and an aerial the size of a playing field.

So if you crave a challenge, dine with disappointment, make mountains of money, have tons of time, and don't actually care about anything much, maybe DAB radio for you.

DAB radio, mono at it's best...

Kind of says it all, doesn't it?