Two Way Radio Licencing Ofcom Options

What ofcom option to choose ?

Business Radio Ofcom Licence Selections

Radio Solutions understand the urgency behind supplying your organisation with a high quality radio communication solution.  However, unlike the Licence Free (PMR446) equipment, high powered professional radio equipment will legally require an Ofcom licence to be issued.  Radio Solutions will gladly apply for the licence on your behalf, however, there are a number of options available which we have attempted to simplify.

We have created this brief information page to help you on your route to purchasing new radio equipment efficiently through our website.  However, be assured we are always available to discuss your requirement on 01745 335 811.

The Ofcom options in the drop down section are:

 Already have a licence ?

If you are in ownership of a valid Ofcom licence we can certainly program your new purchase to operate alongside your existing equipment.

If you select this option, we will make contact with you within 24 hours (working days Monday to Friday), to obtain a copy of your existing Ofcom licence. This will confirm the frequency bandwidth that you have selected is correct and usually will enable us to program the new equipment to operate alongside your existing radio equipment.

In order to be 100% sure that the new and old radio equipment are operational, our customer services team may request that we collect via courier one of your existing radios to test.  There may be an additional collection charge of £10.00 plus VAT for the collection. On collecting the radio, we will read the existing configuration and may clone into the new radio equipment.  Some suppliers may activate a password for this information, therefore, we may (in some cases) request the password in order to extract the configuration.

CAN’T FIND YOUR OFCOM LICENCE? – not to worry, a simple email to [email protected] with a request for a copy will enable a copy to be sent to your email address.  Don’t forget to give them as much information on your organisation as possible in order for them to find the licence.


UK SIMPLE LICENCE REGISTERED TO BILLING ADDRESS +£100.00 (valid 5 YEARS)

This is the simplest option, costing £100.00 + VAT and issued by Ofcom your licence will offer five years’ worth of radio use throughout the UK on any number of radios you wish,  also with the option to add radios purchased in the future to your licence when required. Once payment has been received we will immediately process your order, programing and applying for the licence aiming to supply the radios within 2-3 working days all ready to work out the box . A paper copy of your licence will follow within 7 – 10 days from ofcom.  All future payments in five years are then paid for by the customer direct to Ofcom.

This licence is ideal for localised radio systems such as:

✓ Festivals

✓ Sporting Events

✓ Local Security

✓ Schools / Colleges

✓ Nursing Homes / Small Hospitals

✓ Factories / Warehousing

✓ Shops / Venues

✓ Office Blocks

✓  To name a few….


Still not sure....

With over 20 years’ experience, we understand how daunting the Ofcom licence application process can be.  On purchasing radio equipment from Radio Solutions, we will gladly undertake the complete application on your behalf free of charge.  

If you select this option from the drop down menu, one of our advisers will contact you within 24 working hours (working days Monday to Friday) to discuss the use of the radio equipment and from some simple questions will qualify the Ofcom licence that will suit your project best.

For future correspondence with Ofcom we offer an Ofcom Management service in order to maintain your account.  From as little as 53p plus VAT per week, our team will act on your behalf with Ofcom including paying your licence fee and then invoicing it back to you with a purchase order.  Our Ofcom Management service is ideal for larger organisations with complex procurement departments.

There are a number of Ofcom licenses available depending on your project, we have indicated the common business licences below:

PMR446 (licence-free) 

Designed to operate over a relatively small area. Some manufacturers will claim a 10 km range but this should be taken as a maximum rather than a likely average. Generally speaking, all radios will work well in an open environment but range will become limited when there are obstacles to what is in essence an electro-magnetic wave. As a rule of thumb radio range works in terms of 'line of sight'. Multi storey buildings or thick concrete walls will limit signal so it's always a good idea to test the coverage before committing to one particular type of equipment. Good dealers will offer site surveys and radio trials.

PMR446 radios only transmit 500mW (0.5W) whereas licensed radios use 5W. Therefore, as the power is greater, the range is generally further reaching with a licensed unit. PMR446 is a shared service across the EU therefore the frequency is not secure and interference can sometimes be heard.

Business Radio Simple Area Defined Light Licence

This licence allows use of a base station and portable/mobile units on site (typically 1km at the most). Channels are non exclusive (from a shared allocation and with possible risk of interference).

Business Radio Simple UK Light Licence

This licence allows use of portables/mobile units, but NO base unit, anywhere in UK. Channels are non exclusive (from a shared allocation of channels and with possible risk of interference).

Business Radio Technically Assigned Licence

The technically assigned licence is more complex, allowing on-site or wide area fixed base equipment, repeater equipment and portables/mobile units all running on a higher power. Channels are exclusive and private which is particularly useful for high security and discrete requirements.

Licence allocation is determined on application and is subject to your location in UK.