New Year, New You, New Ofcom Licence

Instead of feeling exhausted after all the Christmas antics, this New Year should be full of positive changes for you and your business.

Kick off the New Year with a new business plan – aim for the stars! ©NordWood Themes on Unsplash

This is the time of year when we all like to turn over a new page, and start setting those desired goals. Although this positivity can be easily swayed and lost with the memories of our ghostly former resolutions… that have figuratively died and gone to heaven. This therefore imprints this aspect of January with a regressing sense of anxiety - keeping you up at night with fears that your uncompleted resolutions of 2017 will yet again resurface in a couple of months’ time.  This should not get in your way of making strong and stable resolutions for 2018 – and keeping to them. You just have to ensure that they are attainable and something that will demonstrate a ‘better’ way of life, with immediate effect. For instance, if you are looking to improve efficiency, safety and a dynamic working team at work – then looking to increase the communications practices in your professional environment – should be an area to set your goals upon.

Set those business goals for 2018 efficiency ©Helloquence on Unsplash

Two Way Radio is a popular way of doing this. A licensed, digital system that is straight forward and well-rounded should be your number one resolution for whichever industry you’re in. You then just need to make sure that you are keeping on board with licensing – and not allowing this added brain ache to deter you from fulfilling your 2018 resolution! Never fear – our team at Resound are here to help you understand the concepts behind licensing your radio, and see the whole process through to the end.

It is so important if you are a business owner to maintain your license, but often seems a demanding and complex job. If you use a licenced radio system for your business, then you will need a valid licence from Ofcom. Ofcom is the communications regulator in the UK, who standardises the TV, radio and video-on-demand sectors, fixed-line telecoms, mobiles and postal services, and even the airwaves over which wireless devices operate. They are the people who make sure that all us two-way radio users in the UK get the best from our communications services and are protected from scams and sharp practices.

Of course, the whole business of two-way radio is boring without a bit of competition, so Ofcom operates under a number of Acts of Parliament, including in particular the Communications Act 2003. This means that Ofcom’s principal duty is to further the interests of citizens and of consumers and where appropriate – to promote competition. Meeting this duty is at the heart of everything Ofcom does, to help all us consumers get the best products designed for our individual work dynamics. So, accountable to Parliament, Ofcom sets and enforces regulatory rules for two-way radio, possessing the power to enforce competition law in those sectors, alongside the Competition and Markets Authority.

The realities of what Ofcom provides for us in the UK is more than astounding, and very much overlooked. Without Ofcom, we wouldn’t have exposure to such a wide range of electronic communication services – can you imagine a world without broadband? Not to mention the diverse and extensive list of TV and radio channels we nonchalantly take for granted morning, noon and night! Ofcom is really the Knight in shining armour in our communications world, but perhaps with a little less flair and chainmail. Instead, Ofcom’s equivalent of dragons are hackers and therefore they adopt the role of protecting the world against harmful and offensive material that can infiltrate into our private lives.

But determining the type of license can seem as overwhelming and exhausting as putting all that chainmail on! Who is the hero of the story without their trusted side-kick? As part of the service we offer to our new customers, Resound can apply for an Ofcom licence on your behalf, and at no extra cost. We can also offer a managed service, should you require us to take responsibility for your licensing on an ongoing basis. We also work hard to support and provide our customers or potential customer with any radio licence help they require – so when you ask “What type of licence would be best for me?” We can offer you one of the following:

1.     Simple UK Light

This licence authorises the use of hand-portable or mobile radio equipment anywhere within the UK. Base station use is not permitted. Licensees have access to fifteen frequencies spread across four Business Radio frequency bands and must self-coordinate with other Simple UK Light licensees. The licence fee is £75 for five years.

2.     Simple Site Light:

This licence authorises the use of a radio system operating a base station and mobile stations within a small area (typically 1 kilometre or less). Frequencies available under this licence class are typically used for radio paging systems. Licensees have access to a range of frequencies and must self-coordinate with other Simple Site Light licensees. The licence fee is £75 for five years.

3.     Technically Assigned:

This licence is a flexible licence that authorises the use of a wide variety of business radio equipment. Licensees can choose from a wide range of frequencies across all Business Radio bands and a wide range of coverage areas, from very small (e.g. in-building coverage) to very large (e.g. a county).

Licence fees are calculated on the basis of several factors including the size of the coverage area and the popularity of the frequency band and typically range from £75 to £1480 for a single channel assignment.

4.     Area Defined:

Area Defined licences give customers exclusive use of a frequency across either a 50km2 grid square, a county, or the whole of the UK. Licence fees are calculated using a combination of frequency width, frequency range and region covered

As an example, a duplex 12.5kHz frequency between 450 and 470MHz to be used across the UK would cost £9,900. A duplex 12.5kHz frequency between 68 and 80MHz to be used across the UK would cost £3,300.

Availability of UK wide channels is extremely limited above 165MHz, so if you wish to purchase an Area Defined licence you should check spectrum availability with us first. 

All in all, Ofcom should be seen as the handsome prince of the story – here to save your goals of 2018 from delving into the void of thrown away resolutions. Of course, all handsome princes have a reputation for having a slight hero-complexity, therefore if you’re getting lost in the maze of licenses and processes – let us at Resound battle our way through that swamp for you. Therefore, contact us if you are interested in enquiring about how we can purchase an Ofcom license for you – using support@resound.co.uk or connecting with us via our Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn links below.

Begin a-New this year and get that Ofcom Over and Out of the way!

Vikki Jenner

Resound Limited.