A month ago, I wrote: I expect that Sounds (which used to be called Radio iPlayer) will become geographically limited by IP address as the TV iPlayer always has been. ... Perhaps the BBC will come up with a subscription service.

James Cridland (who I've realised is somewhat 'economical' over what he writes about the BBC, presumably to keep in with them) has just written this:

First, the BBC has postponed its plans to close BBC Sounds internationally. It’s been a bit of a mess of a rollout, from multiple botched announcements, to an inability to even tell people what’s happening, and now a volte-face which, I think, heralds subscription access to BBC domestic radio (and not, I’m afraid, the continuation of free access).

With perhaps subscription-free listening to World Service?

I suspect this will be for 'live' listening, not for 'listen again for 30 days', for non BBC-copyright programs. So the lady in North Carolina who listens to Radio 2 and the guy in Kansas who listens to Radio 6 may have to get up early. (Or dig out the cassette recorder and timeswitch.)