For FM broadcasting with RDS, RDS Forum member WorldCast Systems in Bordeaux, France, is a worldwide recognized technology leader and innovator with a wide range of hardware and software products that offer broadcasters many possibilities to achieve significant operational cost savings by replacing older installations with modern equipment options.
Many companies worldwide offer single FM/RDS radio chips and microprocessor platforms for automotive infotainment systems, home receivers and portable devices. RDS Forum member NXP Semiconductors is the global leader in this domain, supporting the automotive industry with software and DSP-based chip solutions for FM radio and RDS decoding, in addition to DAB+, DRM(+) and HD Radio demodulation.
Skyworks Solutions, which took over the automotive branch of Silicon Labs, and ST Microelectronics are also well known to the RDS Forum for ICs permitting FM demodulation and RDS decoding. There is not yet a mass-manufactured IC that can demodulate the three optional RDS2 data streams. This kind of IC is still under development, and promises made to the RDS Forum state that it may be released first in 2026. So far only test chips created by NXP were used to validate the RDS2 option during its development by the RDS Forum.
Back in 2012, total annual production for ICs used for RDS decoding exceeded one billion ICs.
There are two manufacturers for RDS encoders: WorldCast Systems and 2wcom. Both use UECP, the Universal Encoder Communication Protocol, so a mix of these encoders can be used in the same transmitter network.
The same two companies also manufacture RDS monitoring equipment. Generally the Internet is used to connect this equipment to a monitoring centre.
Likewise, relatively low-cost RDS tools were available from RDS Forum member MacBe. However, the creator and RDS Forum member Joop Beunders passed away at the end of 2023. The RDS Forum meeting in October 2024 examined possibilities to continue these products, but for the moment there is nothing comparable on offer yet.
The Canadian company e-Radio Inc uses RDS to achieve energy savings with utility management using an RDS-ODA developed by them and used in parts of Canada and the USA. The RDS-UMC, Utility Message Channel, is used for electricity power management on water heater devices in Canada. More recently similar technology is also used in France through the Fleximax Project and in the USA for electric vehicle charging using flexible tariffs, where the actual tariffs are distributed using RDS.