Home
 » ISP News » 
Sponsored Links

Ofcom Propose to Make More Wireless Devices Licence Exempt

Friday, Jan 17th, 2025 (11:15 am) - Score 1,800
wireless signal uk map

Ofcom has today launched a new consultation that proposes to exempt lots of additional devices (equipment) from needing a wireless telegraphy licence, such as 5G handsets and dongles on an aircraft or ship and 5.8 GHz (5725-5850 MHz) Fixed Wireless Access kit – used by many wireless broadband ISPs to offer rural connectivity.

Under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006, the regulator can grant licences for the use of radio frequencies. This is to “ensure spectrum is used efficiently and to prevent interference“, but not all devices that use radio spectrum necessarily need a licence.

Exemptions support economic growth by reducing the regulatory burden on manufacturers and users of innovative new wireless technologies. We periodically review our licence exemptions to reflect changes in technology and usage,” said Ofcom before outlining the changes they intend to make.

Advertisement

Ofcom’s Proposals

We are consulting on proposals to introduce new licence exempt use of some equipment and amend the current technical conditions that apply to existing licence exemptions. The proposed changes fall into two primary categories, as set out below:

Exemptions to harmonise the conditions of use of certain equipment in the UK with other countries.

Under this category, we propose to either introduce a new exemption or make amendments to an existing one in relation to the following equipment:

• Mobile Communications onboard Aircraft (MCAs) and Vessels (MCVs) –we propose to amend the existing licence exemptions to enable the use of 5G terminals (handsets and dongles) connecting to a dedicated mobile base station on an aircraft or ship.

• Short Range Devices (SRDs) – we propose to introduce new licence exemptions for use of additional SRD equipment and to amend existing licence exemption rules for a range of SRDs. The proposals affect some indoor security scanners; audio Programme Making and Special Events (PMSE) devices; inductive (Radio Frequency Inductive Device) RFID systems; active medical implants; assistive listening devices; low duty cycle / high reliability devices; transport and traffic telematics devices; and the non-specific SRD category of devices.

• Ultra-Wideband (UWB) – we propose to introduce new licence exemptions and amend existing ones for operating certain UWB equipment. These proposals affect location tracking devices (e.g. for parking management, home security and access control systems), general vehicle applications (e.g. for use at high density road crossings) and indoor only applications (e.g. tracing people within buildings) in the 6-8.5 GHz frequency band, and existing rules for generic UWB devices.

• Autonomous maritime radio devices (AMRDs) – we propose to introduce a new licence exemption for use of AMRD equipment categorised as ‘Group B’ equipment where this uses a specific channel. These devices alert other users of their presence and can include diver and fishing net locating devices.

Exemptions identified by Ofcom through our simplification programme of work.

We have identified a number of areas where we think we could simplify how we authorise some equipment. Under this category, we propose to introduce either a new exemption or make amendments to an existing one in relation to the following equipment:

• Coastal Station Radio (Training School) – we propose to introduce a new licence exemption for use of these very low power indoor systems used for training purposes. Training schools would still be required to abide by the existing technical conditions of operation.

• Testing and Development Under Suppressed Radiation Conditions – we propose to amend the existing licence exemption to increase the spectrum ceiling from 960 MHz to 275 GHz. This change would remove the need for some users to obtain an Innovation and Trial licence when testing or developing equipment in an indoor, suppressed environment at specified power levels.

• Amateur Radio Full (Temporary Reciprocal) – we propose to introduce a new licence exemption for short-term use of Radio Amateur equipment by Radio Amateurs visiting from countries that are not covered by the CEPT Recommendation T/R 61-02, but with whom the UK has a bilateral reciprocal agreement.

• 5.8 GHz (5725-5850 MHz) Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) – we propose to introduce a new licence exemption for use of this equipment. Operators of the equipment would still need to comply with the existing technical conditions set out in IR 2007.

Ofcom are now taking comments on these proposals until 5pm on Friday 28th March 2025 (here).

Share with Twitter
Share with Linkedin
Share with Facebook
Share with Reddit
Share with Pinterest
Mark-Jackson
By Mark Jackson
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and .
Search ISP News
Search ISP Listings
Search ISP Reviews

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

NOTE: Your comment may not appear instantly (it may take several hours) due to static caching and moderation checks by the anti-spam system. Please be patient. We will reject comments that spam, troll, post via known fake IP/proxy servers or fall foul of our Online Safety and Content Policy.
Javascript must be enabled to post (most browsers do this automatically)

Privacy Notice: Please note that news comments are anonymous, which means that we do NOT require you to enter any real personal details to post a message. By clicking to submit a post you agree to storing your entries for comment content, display name, IP and email in our database, for as long as the post remains live.

Only the submitted name and comment will be displayed in public, while the rest will be kept private (we will never share this outside of ISPreview, regardless of whether the data is real or fake). This comment system uses submitted IP, email and website address data to spot abuse and spammers. All data is transferred via an encrypted (https secure) session.
Cheap BIG ISPs for 100Mbps+
Community Fibre UK ISP Logo
150Mbps
Gift: First 3 Months Free
Vodafone UK ISP Logo
Vodafone £23.00
150Mbps
Gift: None
Youfibre UK ISP Logo
Youfibre £23.99
150Mbps
Gift: None
NOW UK ISP Logo
NOW £25.00
100Mbps
Gift: None
Virgin Media UK ISP Logo
Virgin Media £25.99
132Mbps
Gift: None
Large Availability | View All
Cheapest ISPs for 100Mbps+
BeFibre UK ISP Logo
BeFibre £19.00
150Mbps
Gift: None
Gigaclear UK ISP Logo
Gigaclear £19.00
300Mbps
Gift: None
Community Fibre UK ISP Logo
150Mbps
Gift: First 3 Months Free
toob UK ISP Logo
toob £22.00
150Mbps
Gift: None
Vodafone UK ISP Logo
Vodafone £23.00
150Mbps
Gift: None
Large Availability | View All
The Top 15 Category Tags
  1. FTTP (6148)
  2. BT (3691)
  3. Politics (2773)
  4. Business (2480)
  5. Openreach (2446)
  6. Building Digital UK (2362)
  7. Mobile Broadband (2197)
  8. FTTC (2094)
  9. Statistics (1949)
  10. 4G (1854)
  11. Virgin Media (1811)
  12. Ofcom Regulation (1613)
  13. Fibre Optic (1489)
  14. Wireless Internet (1477)
  15. 5G (1451)
Promotion
Sponsored

Copyright © 1999 to Present - ISPreview.co.uk - All Rights Reserved - Terms , Privacy and Cookie Policy , Links , Website Rules , Contact
Mastodon