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Introduction

What is the purpose of these guidance notes?

The aim of these guidance notes is to provide users with practical information on Ofcom’s policy on spectrum liberalisation and the measures and procedures put in place to reduce or remove certain restrictions on spectrum use. They serve as a first port of call for those who want to understand the flexibilities available to Wireless Telegraphy Act (‘WT Act’) licensees and how Ofcom will enable these in practice. They complement the guidance notes on spectrum trading - see Related Items.

From time to time Ofcom will update these guidance notes in line with policy developments and the progressive roll-out of liberalisation.

The guidance notes are written in a Question and Answer format. They aim to provide straightforward and clear answers to a range of questions on spectrum liberalisation and the practical measures put in place to implement it. Links to further relevant documentation are provided in the answers where appropriate to provide more specific information on certain areas.

• Section 2 of the guide deals with the policy framework: how spectrum will be liberalised, the mechanisms and time scales for liberalisation, its benefits and risks.
• Section 3 of the guide discusses the extent of the new flexibilities and how you may take advantage of them, which licence classes have been liberalised and which licence classes will be next for liberalisation.
• Section 4 shows you how to submit a request for licence variation, outlines the information that may be required to support an application and details the process that Ofcom will follow. Guidance on spectrum quality benchmarking and consultation with third parties is also given.
• Section 5 provides some guidance on dealing with interference and how to obtain assistance if and when necessary. It also provides information on spectrum monitoring.
• Section 6 gives details of the spectrum liberalisation helpdesk and points of contact in Ofcom.

Has Ofcom published other documents relevant to liberalisation?

Ofcom has published a number of documents that provide the background to Ofcom’s policies on spectrum liberalisation and other information that may be of assistance to those interested in spectrum liberalisation and include important information on spectrum policies, including spectrum trading. These documents include:

• the consultation document and statement on liberalisation;
• the Spectrum Framework Review and Spectrum Framework Review: Implementation Plan;
• consultations documents, statements, regulations and guidance notes on spectrum trading ( Ofcom/RA Joint Consultation on Spectrum Trading: published responses, Spectrum Trading and the Wireless Telegraphy Register, Trading Guidance Notes).

If you have any questions about spectrum liberalisation that are not answered by these guidance notes, then please direct them to the relevant spectrum liberalisation helpdesk for the type of radio use you are interested in. The contact details of these helpdesks can be found at the end of this document.

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