Digital radio was always going to be crap, it doesn't degrade gradually as signal gets worse
They should have just put all the money into a better 4G network and ran radio through that.
One-to-one communications and broadcast communications are different. Perhaps every 4G tower could broadcast the news on a special data channel, but you don't get it for free.
Bit of hindsight bias there, DAB was first developed in the mid 1990s, ubiquitous fast wireless IP in everyone’s pockets is at least a decade, perhaps nearer to 20 years in the future. There are quite a few transitionary technologies that we needn’t have developed had we just waited for something better to come along (but without the R&D into some of them…).
(Also doesn’t analogue FM also kinda cut off fairly abruptly?)
FM stays listenable even with heavy distortions when you drive out of range and you can decide for yourself when you no longer tolerate the signal. Digital doesn’t give you warnings and just goes silent