Red Tape Lifted For New Generation Of Mobile Radio Devices

Press Release - 7 March 2001

Patricia Hewitt, Minister for Small Business and E-commerce, today approved further exemptions from licensing for the next generation of mobile terminals.

The new Regulations, which will come into force on 28th March, will allow new categories of radio devices to be used without the need for licensing or payment of licence fees under Section 1(1) of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949. The new categories include:

Third Generation Mobile Services (3G) handsets. These new handsets will allow consumers to access improved telephony, Internet access and related services. The existing "second generation" mobile handsets are already exempt from licensing;

Two-way paging services. These new pagers will allow consumers to reply to, as well as to receive messages.

CDMA spread spectrum data asset tracking systems. These devices will help track stolen vehicles and goods.

Land mobile satellite services. These terminals will permit access for consumers to a further global satellite system known as "Thuraya". These personal satellite terminals can be used almost anywhere within the UK and will particularly benefit remote communities where current fixed/ mobile telecommunications are prohibitively difficult or expensive to install. It should be noted that terminals for other global satellite systems have previously been exempted.

Meteor burst data systems. These data systems are used to track large moving objects on the ground.

Press Enquiries: 020 7211 0500
Public Enquiries: 020 7211 0075
Radiocommunications Agency website: www.radio.gov.uk
DTI Media Enquiries: 020 7215 2345
Out of hours: 020 7215 5110/5600
Textphone for those with hearing impairment: 020 7215 6740

Notes for editors:

1. The Radiocommunications Agency is an executive agency of the DTI, responsible for licensing civil use of the radio spectrum in the UK.

2. Statutory Instrument SI 2001/730: The Wireless Telegraphy (Exemptions) Regulations is available at: www.hmso.gov.uk, or may be purchased from The Stationery Office.

3. The Regulatory Impact Assessment for this Regulation can be found on the Radiocommunications Agency website at: www.radio.gov.uk.

4. CDMA stands for Code Division Multiple Access, which is a continuous digital transmission technology that uses a coding system to mix discrete signals together during transmission and separates the signals at the end of the transmission.

RA/PN 2001/02