The analogue radio switch-off could happen sooner than originally anticipated as communications regulator Ofcom indicated that 2012 might be too late for a review of FM radio.

"We suggested an AM review in 2009 and an FM review in 2012, but that may be too long to wait," Ed Richards, Ofcom's chief executive told the Radio Festival in Cambridge.

However, he believes moving quickly to turn off analogue radio signals would be a mistake. "We do not believe that Government announcing a swift forced march to analogue switch-off in radio today would be in the interests of listeners or industry," said Richards.

Richards said there are currently 100 to 150 million analogue radios and "no similarly affordable equivalent of the [digital TV] set-top box" to convert these to digital. But the cost of dual transmission is a burden for the industry which makes switch-off attractive.