Arthur124

Hi again. You may or not remember that I have a Fiat 124 based on the Mazda MX5 platform. Like you guys, my TMC stopped working in the UK via FM as Trafficmaster ceased to operate. But I can confirm that it still works perfectly well in mainland Europe, having just returned from a trip to France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. This is without any updates or modifications to my satnav.

........ perhaps send same or cc to the Transport Minister Mark Harper ?

In addition to the above, I have now received a reply from Ofcom (the Gov UK body responsible for licensing and regulatory requirements for all radio transmissions in the UK). They have confirmed once again that Trafficmaster have ceased TMC broadcasts and that there are no other suppliers in the frame to fill the service vacated by Trafficmaster......

I have sent updated information by email to my contact in UK Broadcast Licensing (Ofcom). They are still looking into this matter. I await further news.

Perhaps this should be forwarded to BBC Watchdog, RAC, AA, We Buy Any Car, Honest John etc etc etc.

A comparable analogy might be....... We all have televisions. They are manufactured by numerous companys, each providing a wide range of models and sizes. Like our cars, they are capable of receiving and decoding transmissions from providers such as SKY, BBC, Netflix, Free view etc. If a service provider decides to stop transmitting programs then the root cause of not receiving the program data lies entirely with the service provider. It does not lie with the manufacturer of the televisions. It would be unreasonable to expect or demand that Samsung, Toshiba, Sony, LG, Bush etc to modify/update/repair a non-faulty TV. Reinstating TMC transmissions either by Trafficmaster (or whoever may take over the contract) is the most obvious solution to the problem.

Does anyone have an update ?

This shows graphically that it is not just VAG cars. It is also Honda..... along with many other manufacturers. The problem also affects stand alone satnavs that use Trafficmaster RDS TMC (such as Garmin). As noted earlier, this will affect hundreds of thousands of UK vehicles and satnav owners, as well as those tourists travelling to the UK. As for your mum and her Honda, she has a few options...... 1. Wait for a fix. 2. Move to France. 3. Move to Italy. 4. Live without Live Traffic. 5. Sell the car !!!!! Let's hope the national press pick up on this soon.

Sounds sort of positive in a way..... we will have to see what happens next. If this is resolved by updating software on each individual car then it going to be a massive task across numerous manufacturers....... easily into the hundreds of thousands of vehicles.

I have now received catagorical independent confirmation from a third party (Gov UK/Broadcast Licensing/Ofcom). It confirms all that we have manged to ascertain : 1. Trafficmaster (Teletrac Navman) have ceased RDS TMC Live Traffic broadcast in the UK on Heart/Capital/Smooth as of 31/03/2023. 2. INRIX are continuing to provide their service via Classic FM. I would imagine that hundreds of thousands of UK cars are affected by the removal of the Trafficmaster service. I have emailed Trafficmaster for further information. For info, this is the email I received from Broadcast Licensing........ .

From Wickedpedia....... Trafficmaster (Teletrac Navman) supply the following manufacturers, all of which we now know are having major issues....... INRIX (ITIS) supply the following manufacturers..... owners of their systems are NOT reporting and issues as far as we know........

Excellently describes the issue. Fingers crossed the issue will be investigated and resolved soon.

I'll try to answer this !!!...... In autumn 2021 UK Broadcasting Licensing for FM Additional Services was put out tender for the provision of RDS TMC services using Classic FM sub-carrier (amongst a host of other FM provisions). Contract to supply RDS TMC FM Live Traffic Data in the UK was awarded from February 2022 for a 9 year period. This contract was awarded to INRIX. I've included contractual information in the attached document. It is an interesting read, but I refer you to section A5.1 (page 30) TMC (8A). As I understand, INRIX are the current supplier of RDS TMC Live Traffic in the UK. I have contacted both INRIX and Broadcast Licensing (OFCOM) to inform them that the service previously supplied is no longer available as of mid to end March 2023. I'm awaiting their response. consultation-additional-services-licence.pdf

It seems inconceivable to me that numerous manufacturers covering numerous models of cars (thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of vehicles) will be willing or even able to provide software updates etc to all affected owners. The more likely course of action is to address and remedy the root cause of the problem that manifested itself in mid to late March of this year.

Any chance you could pop over to Dover, park the cliffs (Not on by the edge !!!) and see if you can pick up French TMC FM ?...... I had good live traffic when I was in France/Belgium in April.

Further to previous info, Ofcom have allocated an Investigation Number to my email. Here is that email.......

It's important to remember that it is illegal to even touch a mobile phone in the UK if the engine is running in your car. Also, FM reception (RDS TMC) is more reliable than 4G/5G especially in areas of poor mobile coverage.... in those places you are more likely to need a reliable working satnav system. And there is no cost with RDS TMC FM. No data usage, no phone battery usage, no need to pair phone to car.

To confirm, I've had nothing through TMC since mid March, except when I was in France/Belgium early April where it works absolutely fine.

Yes, Inrix have stated that it is still carried on Classic FM signal and that nothing has changed their end...

It's being reported on Honda forum (link below), April 2023. I've also seen it on other owners forums, I'll have a search tomorrow. Remember though, many owners just use their phones as hotspots and therefore don't know of the problem !!! https://www.hondacivicforum.co.uk/threads/2015-civic-1-8-ex-traffic-alert-and-detour-stopped-working.86586/

Just to remind everyone, this issue is not limited to Skoda or VAG. Honda owners are reporting same problem. As am I, a Fiat owner.

Just to confirm, INRIX are definitely the current supplier of RDS TMC FM in the UK at the present time. I have been discussing the issue with them and they tell me that their systems are working correctly........

Busy morning for me !!! I can now confirm that INRIX are the current provider for RDS TM in the UK. Their engineers have check the system and advise of no issues there end. I'll continue to pursue the matter. Here are a couple of screenshots of excerpts from my email replies form INRIX......

Update...... I have had continuing dialogue with Trafficmaster/teletracnavman. They advise that although they used to have the contract for RDS TMC FM in the UK, this is no longer the case. Their primary service is to provide satellite vehicle tracking data for corporate users. It would appear that INRIX (ITIS) are the current provider of RDS TMC FM Live Data on the UK. I have email INRIX. Response awaited.

And there's more..... I've raised this issue with Ofcom. They are the government's regulatory body for information services such as FM transmission in the UK and should be able to advise and investigate on who has responsibility for RDS TMC provision including Live Traffic. Fingers crossed !!!