Bandwidth: estimating your station’s needs

Are you interested in starting or broadcasting your own Internet Radio Station but want to know more about bandwidth ? You’ve come to the right place! In this article, we’ll explain what radio streaming bandwidth is and how to choose the best hosting solution for your station. Whether you’re an amateur broadcaster or managing professional radio systems, understanding frequency, range, and signal distribution is key.

What is bandwidth?

Bandwidth is a collection of data transmitted between a radio station and its listeners. This signal travels across specific frequencies, often measured in MHz, and defines the range within which your station can operate. This spectrum is provided by a host, and its cost depends on the quantity and quality of the data sent. The higher the number of listeners, the higher the cost.

Bandwidth is also affected by the modulation method used (like amplitude or frequency modulation) and the width of the channel your station uses. Some bands, especially in the VHF or KHZ ranges, offer better performance for certain applications, such as amateur communication or professional broadcast.

How do listeners consume bandwidth?

As soon as a listener tunes in to a radio stream, it will start to consume its bandwidth. Whether it is from a mobile application, a website, a listening directory or a connected speaker, the signal consumption will be pretty much the same. However, it may vary depending on the options available, such as audio quality and bitrate.

For example, higher-quality audio uses more data, especially when using wideband settings or high-frequency ranges. A carrier signal in the upper part of the spectrum, such as in the GHz band, may require stronger processing power and a better antenna to maintain clarity. Some systems even use filters to manage spectral response and reduce interference from nearby channels.

Which host to choose for its bandwidth ?

Most hosting providers base themselves on the number of listeners, the listening time and the quality of the data sent. Therefore, the cost will not be the same if your audience decides to listen to your radio in high definition (192 or 320 Kbps) or in low definition (128 Kbps). For example, if one listener listens to your radio in 128 Kbps for 1h30, they will use 84.37 MB of your bandwidth. If 30 listeners listen to your radio in 128 Kbps for the same length of time, they will consume 2,531.10 MB.

This is especially true when operating in high-frequency bands or when using spectral filters to enhance signal clarity. Each stream occupies a specific width on the spectrum, and the total power required can vary depending on how wide the band is. In defined systems, the modulation type also affects how efficiently data is transmitted.

To estimate your needs, you can use our bandwidth calculator below:

Which host to choose for its bandwidth?

Unlike other hosting providers, RadioKing has chosen to simplify things. Instead of taking into account the bandwidth or simultaneous listeners to bill you, we base our pricing on the number of listening hours.

You’re probably wondering what the difference is? The difference is that we don’t penalize you based on the listening quality selected by your listeners. Whether your radio is listened to in 320 Kbps, 192 Kbps or 128 Kbps, the cost will be the same.

Our systems are designed to adapt to various applications, from amateur to professional use. Whether you’re broadcasting voice, programming with music, or running a talk show, we provide the range and channel width flexibility you need. In fact, our platform supports both lower and higher frequencies to ensure optimal reach and response.

Now for the icing on the cake… the number of simultaneous listeners is unlimited, and that’s great news for your budget! Click here to discover our offers – no commitment.

How to protect the bandwidth of your radio?

The Radio Manager was developed by RadioKing to help professionals and amateur broadcasters create and manage your own online radio station. Above all, it offers essential features such as the possibility to automatically disconnect listeners after a set time. We know that, on average, people listen to the radio between 1H30 and 2H30 per day. You can easily choose to kick your listeners off your stream after a given amount of time. This allows you to prevent them from leaving your stream running (and therefore, consuming listening hours) without actually listening to it.

To activate this option, head over to Settings > Security and set a limit.

You can also activate the geo-protection feature under Settings > Security in your Radio Manager to prevent certain countries from accessing your stream if you consider the listening rate suspicious. This function is useful if you encounter abnormally high bandwidth consumption in specific regions of the spectrum.

Features like these help protect your signal integrity and ensure that your channel remains available for legitimate users only. For best results, you may also want to monitor your programming, use filters to block unwanted traffic, and adjust your frequency or carrier to improve overall response time.