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Information Sheet on the Satellite Earth Station Licensing Regime |
Permanent Earth Station (PES) Licence (RA
362)
Transportable Earth Station (TES) Licence (RA 361)
Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) Earth Station Licence (RA
363)
The Radiocommunications Agency (RA) has prepared this information sheet for the guidance of potential operators of Fixed Satellite Service earth stations. These licences also cover feeder link applications for the Broadcast Satellite Service and the Mobile Satellite Service.
The licences available, the services envisaged to operate under the various licences and the relevant licence fee structure are explained in the following paragraphs.
Section 1 of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949 forbids the installation or use of wireless telegraphy (radio) in the UK mainland including Northern Ireland and territorial waters, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, unless:
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an appropriate licence has been obtained from the Secretary of State; or |
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there are in force Regulations exempting it from licensing. |
The current licensing regime has no restrictions on the number of operators permitted to run satellite services. Similarly, there is no limit on the number of earth stations that a licensee may wish to operate. Licences permit one way or two-way operation of satellite communication services, carrying voice, data, sound or vision. Licensees are generally required to comply with information published by the satellite operator and the ITU. W.T. Act licences are only required for transmitting apparatus. Receive only apparatus is currently exempt from licensing, however the legislation is due for amendment to facilitate the protection of earth station installations involved in professional/ commercial service operation. In addition to obtaining a W.T. Act licence, a licence under the Telecommunications Act may also be required. The T. Act Satellite Services Class Licence places certain restrictions on interconnection with the public network. Further advice can be obtained by writing to:
Department of Trade and Industry| National | Tel. 020 7215 1784 |
| Fax. 020 7215 1800 | |
| International | Tel. +44 (0)20 7215 1784 |
| Fax. +44 (0)20 7215 1800 |
Under the current Wireless Telegraphy Act licensing regime there are three main licence categories for operating earth stations in the Fixed Satellite Service. The following paragraphs give an overview of the type of service envisaged under the various licences.
This licence is intended for the large permanently installed earth station operating to a satellite in the geostationary orbit. Full site clearance and national and international co-ordination procedures are applied to provide maximum protection to the earth station. Co-ordination is a requirement for all bands in which the fixed satellite service (FSS) is allocated co-primary status with typically, the terrestrial Fixed Service (FS). Co-ordination can be a lengthy process and potential operators should either factor this delay into their business plans or seek satellite spectrum in the non-shared bands. Further information is available on the contact numbers shown below. VSAT hub stations will also be licensed under this category.
| The licence has three classes. | |
| Class I | Very Narrowband for emissions less than 100KHz aggregated bandwidth. |
| Class II | Narrowband for emissions between 100KHz and 2MHz aggregated bandwidth. |
| Class III | Wideband for emissions greater than 2MHz in aggregated bandwidth. |
This licence category will cover all transportable earth station
applications; for example, satellite news gathering (SNG), uplinking of sports events etc.
This application is characterised by a short-term requirement to provide uplinking from a
location that is often determined by external pressures, i.e. a news item. Full clearance
and co-ordination is not possible for TES operation, but a minimal clearance procedure
must be effected prior to transmission. The Radiocommunications Agency operates a rapid
clearance system which is available 24 hours a day. Clearances obtained under this
procedure are on a "non interference and non protection basis" (ITU RR S4.4).
The maximum period of time that a TES can remain in one location without seeking further
approval form the Agency is 21 days.
A code of practice (Site Clearance: Manual of Code of Practice Number 1. RA 172 refers)
has been prepared to guide TES operators on the correct procedure to be adopted.
This licence enables the licensee to operate any number of VSAT
terminals in any network configuration. The UK licence conditions require that the uplinks
are confined to the Fixed Satellite Service Frequency Bands as defined in RA 278, i.e.
14.0-14.25GHz and 29.5-30GHz to facilitate minimal co-ordination of the VSAT terminals.
The radio apparatus comprised in the Station(s) shall be so
designed, constructed, maintained and operated that its use does not cause interference to
other authorised users of the spectrum.
From 8 April 2000 all radio equipment must comply with all "essential
requirements" and provisions of the R&TTE Directive 99/5/EC. Within this context,
the use of harmonised standards assures a presumption of conformity to the Directive. In
cases where no relevant harmonised standard is available, the services of a notified body
may be required.
Equipment previously approved under the old type approval regime must be reassessed to
ensure conformity, however during the period from the 8 April 2000 to 8 April 2001
manufacturers may choose to apply transitional arrangements using either the R&TTED or
the requirements of Directive 98/13/EC.
Under Article 7.2 of the Directive 99/5/EC, the Radiocommunications Agency will implement
a set of UK Regulated Interface provisions, which have been notified to the Commission and
relate to the efficient use of spectrum.
The licence fee varies according to the type of earth station. Current Fees are:
| Class I | Very Narrowband stations f 1,000 per annum |
| Class II | Narrowband stations £5,000 per annum |
| Class III | Widebandstations £10,000 per annum |
Clearance to only 1 satellite is included in the above fees. Clearance to additional satellites is charged at £1,000 per satellite.
The annual fee for the Transportable Earth Station licence is £8,500 for each station.
The annual fee for the VSAT licences is based on the number of terminals (located in the UK) in a network. The fee is charged on an incremental block basis as shown below
| Number of VSAT's | Fee (£) |
| 1-20 | 2,000 |
| 21-100 | 6,000 |
| 101-300 | 12,000 |
| 301-500 | 20,000 |
| 501-1000 | 40,000 |
Each additional group of 100 terminals or part thereof above 1000 will attract a fee off 4,000 per annum.
The annual fee is determined by the number of VSAT terminals capable of transmitting from the UK that the licensee intends to operate during the period of the licence authorisation. The licence charge would be fixed at the appropriate fee band. If the number of terminals installed exceeds the authorised band limit the licensee is required to inform the Agency.
Applicants should in the first instance complete the relevant application for the class of licence they require. Forms and further advice are available by writing to the following address:
Radiocommunications Agency
Space Services Section
Wyndham House
189 Marsh Wall
London E14 9SX
| National | Tel. 020 7211 0300 |
| Fax. 020 7211 0112 | |
| International | Tel. +44 (0)20 7211 0300 |
| Fax.+44 (0)20 7211 0112 |
Licence documents are available in electronic format on our website
For information on other radio matters contact the Agency's 24 Hour Telephone Enquiry
Point: 020 7211 0211
RA 171 (Rev 5)
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