Future broadband radio systems have ambitious objectives in terms of performance and quality of service. Moreover, new network topologies are likely to be introduced. Therefore, the physical layer has to evolve to meet the new requirements. With this in mind, the filter bank multicarrier (FBMC) technique is proposed as an enhancement to the present OFDM technique. After a brief presentation of the FBMC principle, the adaptation to the radio context is described. Then, the main features which impact radio networks are reviewed with emphasis on the potential benefits of the evolution. The paper provides an overview of the work carried out in the European research project EC-FP7-Phydyas (physical layer for dynamic access and cognitive radio).