Britain's culture minister has admitted the country's new digital radio service has poor coverage and sound quality.

Culture Minister Ed Vaizey, who is overseeing the switchover to digital radio, said criticism that the new service's technology is outdated has "elements of truth," The Daily Telegraph reported Thursday.

The plan to get rid of analogue FM radio services has come under fire of citizens who say they are happy with the service they already have.

"You will no doubt have heard the negatives of digital radio, there has certainly been no shortage of column inches devoted to the subject," Vaizey said. "They often suggest that DAB is an out-of-date technology, that coverage and sound quality are inferior to analogue and listeners are already happy with what they've got, so why change? There are, of course, elements of truth in all these statements."