Here you will find information about applying for Business Radio licences, as well as other processes such as varying or surrendering a licence, and updating contact details
Licence Information
Light licences - Simple UK, Simple Site, and Suppliers Light licences are known as 'Light Licences'. These are simple licences that include a set list of frequencies for users to self-coordinate. They are easy to apply for and fast to issue on our Online Licensing portal, as they do not require technical assignment.
Technical licences - Technically Assigned and Area Defined licences require technical coordination from Ofcom, and therefore cannot be managed on the licensing portal. They can be applied for and varied via our Online Service.
You can find out more about each product using the tabs below.
This licence authorises the use of hand-portable or mobile radio equipment anywhere within the UK. Licencees have access to 19 frequencies spread across four Business Radio frequency bands and must self co-ordinate with other Simple UK Light licencees.
- Base station use is not permitted for Simple UK licences.
- The maximum ERP allowed is 5 Watts.
The licence fee is £75 for five years.
You can apply for a Simple UK Light Licence via our Online Licensing portal.
This licence authorises the use of a radio system operating a base station and/or mobile stations within a small area. Licensees have access to a range of frequencies and must self-coordinate with other Simple Site licensees.
- The licence covers an area of 1 kilometre or less.
- Signalling code use is permitted. For more information on this please refer to the Technical Frequency Assignment Criteria
The licence fee is £75 for five years.
You can apply for a Simple Site Light Licence via our Online Licensing portal.
This licence is a specialist licence for radio suppliers that include trunked business radio, and permits them to:
- Service and repair Business Radio and marine equipment
- Hire out Business Radio and/ or radio paging equipment
- Allocate Business Radio equipment to customers awaiting Business Radio licences, for up to three months (known as ‘parking’)
- Demonstrate Business Radio equipment to customers for up to eight days
- Licensees have access to a wide range of frequencies and must share and self-coordinate with other Suppliers Light licensees
Licencees have access to a wide range of frequencies and must share and self co-ordinate with other Suppliers Light licencees.
The licence fee is £75 for five years.
You can apply for a Suppliers Light Licence via our Online Licensing portal.
This is a flexible licence that authorises the use of a 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 (eg, in-building coverage) to very large (eg, 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 £1,480 for a single channel assessment.
If you would like to estimate your fee, please use our Fee Calculator.
- We recommend that you open the calculator with no other Excel sheets open as this may cause issues
- If you encounter any issues when using the calculator, please report them via the webform.
You can apply for a Technically Assigned licence via our Online Service.
Area Defined licences give customers exclusive use of a frequency across either a 50km2 grid square, a country, 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. If you wish to purchase an Area Defined licence you should check spectrum availability with us first.
If you would like to estimate your fee, please use our Fee Calculator.
- We recommend that you open the calculator with no other Excel sheets open as this may cause issues
- If you encounter any issues when using the calculator, please report them via the webform.
You can apply for a Area Defined licence via our Online Service.
Licence contacts and documentation
You can use the tabs below to view the various contact roles that can be assigned to Business Radio licences, and the documentation each contact will receive.
The licensee is the legal entity responsible for the licence. The following documents are sent to the licensee:
- Licence document*
- Variations
- Intention to Revoke
- Notice of Revocation
*Please note that only BR Technically Assigned & Area Defined licensees will receive copies of the licence document. Light licence documents are sent to the licence contact only.
The licence contact receives all general correspondence relating to the licence:
- Variations
- Application receipt (new applications/variations)
- Licence document
- Validation Notice
- Payment Confirmation
- Notice of Revocation
Please note that the licence contact will not receive requests for payment.
The billing contact receives all correspondence relating to payment of the licence:
- Proposal (new applications)
- Request for Payment
- Intention to Revoke
The licence agent is a third-party contact who receives the following documents for Business Radio Technically Assigned and Area Defined licences:
- Proposal (new applications)
- Variations
Please note that licence agents will only receive the proposal for the initial application. Future requests for payment are sent to the billing contact only.
The following contacts do not receive any documentation, but are there for us to contact when necessary:
- Technical Licence Contact
- Licence Trade Contact
Licence Management
Applications
The following licence types can be applied for via our Online Licensing portal:
- Simple UK
- Simple Site
- Suppliers Light
The following licence types can be applied for via our Online Application Form:
- Technically Assigned
- Area Defined
We aim to process these applications within 42 working days (with 65 days allowed for International coordination) as frequency assignment is required.
Variations
The following licence types can be varied using the Online Variation Form:
- Technically Assigned
- Area Defined
Due to the technical assignment required, variations for these licences can take up to 42 days. In cases where international co-ordination is required, please allow up to 65 days for processing.
The following licence types can be varied using the Online Licensing portal:
- Simple Site Licence
Variations made via the portal are usually completed immediately.
As Simple UK and Suppliers Light licences contain no site or technical information, no variations can be made to them other than contact information.
Surrenders
The following licence types can be surrendered immediately using the Online Licensing portal:
- Simple UK Licence
- Simple Site Licence
- Suppliers Light Licence
The following licence types can be surrendered by sending a request via the Online Surrender Form:
- Technically Assigned
- Area Defined
Please note that surrender credits are only offered for annual licences with a fee of over £75. For licences £75 and below, we do not issue credits.
If the person acting as the contact remains the same, but personal details such as an email address, phone number, or registered address need to be updated, this can be done by logging into the Online Licensing portal and “Managing Personal Details”.
If the person acting as the contact needs to be updated, you should send the request to Spectrum Licensing, and include the details of the new contact.
The following information is required to set up a new contact:
- Contact name
- Email address
- Registered address
- Telephone number
These requests can be submitted via the webform.
Harmonising a licence is the process of aligning multiple licence payment dates into one singular payment.
The following Business Radio licence types are eligible for harmonisation:
- Technically Assigned
- Area Defined
In order to request harmonisation, the licence(s) must meet the following requirements:
- The licence must be paid for annually
- The billing contact and product type must be the same
- The licence must be live, and the harmonisation must be requested before the month the licence is due for payment
- The desired harmonisation date must be later than the payment date of the current licence. For example, a licence with a payment date of August 2025 can only be harmonised to a later date than this.
Harmonisation requests can be submitted via the webform.
For new applications, a specific harmonisation date can be requested on section A of the PDF application form, and in the notes section of the online application.
All Business Radio licence products can be traded.
In order to trade a licence, you must submit the relevant form to the licensing team:
- Application for Spectrum Trading (outright transfer)
- Application for Spectrum Trading
- Application for Spectrum Trading (Lease)
Please note that applications cannot be progressed unless the form is signed by all relevant parties or proof of consent is provided.
Trade forms can be returned via the webform.
For further guidance on trading licences, please refer to our Trading Guidance Notes.
To make an enquiry with the licensing team about a specific licence/account, you will need to be able to confirm at least three pieces of information relating to them, such as:
- Licence number
- Customer reference number
- Licensee name
- Registered address including postcode
- Payment number
It would be useful to have some documentation relating to the licence and/or account to hand when contacting us.
You can submit a query to the licensing team using the webform.
You can speak to the licensing team by ringing 0300 123 1000.