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UK PAGING FREQUENCIES AND LICENCE INFORMATION
1. Self-select one-way paging frequencies for NON-SPEECH on-site paging (not hospitals).
All of the channels in this category may be used for non-speech paging, which can be tone-only or with numeric and/or alphanumeric messaging. The current licence fee is £50 per site for 3 years. As many different channels as you wish may be used on a site for a single licence fee of £50. For multiple sites (separated by public highways or property/land not controlled by the licensee) a separate licence is required for each site. When applying for a licence it is not necessary to specify the channels that will be used.
a) 26MHz Band
| 26.2375 | 26.4100 | 26.4375 | 26.4625 | 26.5450 | 26.5880 | 26.6155 |
| 26.6695 | 26.7255 | 26.8155 | 26.8650 | 26.8655 | | |
These are 25kHz channel spacing.
b) 49MHz Band
| 49.0000 | 49.0125 | 49.0250 | 49.0375 | 40.0500 | 49.0625 | 49.0750 |
| 49.0875 | 49.1000 | 49.1125 | 49.1250 | 49.1375 | 49.1500 | 49.1625 |
| 49.1750 | 49.1875 | 49.2000 | 49.2125 | 49.2250 | 49.2375 | 49.2500 |
| 49.2625 | 49.2750 | 49.2875 | 49.3000 | 49.3125 | 49.3250 | 49.3375 |
| 49.3500 | 49.3625 | 49.3750 | 49.3875 | 49.4000 | 49.4125 | 49.4875 |
These are 12.5kHz channel spacing.
c) 459MHz Band
These are 25kHz channel spacing.
2. One-way on-site paging with speech permitted.
All of the channels in this category may be used for on-site paging in non-hospital systems and can be with speech and/or numeric and/or alphanumeric messaging as required. The current licence fee is £75 per channel per site for 3 years. For multiple sites (separated by public highways or property/land not controlled by the licensee) a separate licence is required per channel per site. These channels are also shared with Local Communications two-way speech systems.
| 459.1250 | 459.1500 | 459.1750 | 459.2000 | 459.2250 | 459.2500 | 459.2750 |
| 459.3000 | 459.3500 | 459.4500 | | | | |
These are 25kHz channel spacing.
3. Hospital paging systems
All of these channels are allocated specifically for use in hospitals and both one-way and two-way speech is permitted for emergencies. Tone only paging and numeric and/or alphanumeric message paging may also be used. The current licence fee is £150 per channel per site for three years. All hospitals must apply for licences, both NHS and Independent. NHS hospitals do not need to pay the fee directly as special arrangements exist for all NHS Wireless Telegraphy Act licences to be paid centrally.
a) 31MHz band
These are 25kHz channel spacing.
b) 49MHz band
| 49.4250 | 49.4375 | 49.4500 | 49.4625 | 49.4750 |
These are 12.5kHz channel spacing
c) Talkback (return speech) frequencies (any talkback frequency may be used with any paging frequency).
Note that the use of Talkback is only permitted in emergency situations.
| 161.0000 | 161.0250 | 161.0500 | 161.0750 | 161.1000 | 164.2000 |
These frequencies are 12.5kHz channel spacing for new systems.
4. Short Range Business Paging
There are two UHF frequencies available for Short Range Business Paging. This is a non-speech paging service with low output power and limited range. A licence is required for this service but it is free of charge. The available frequencies are 449.4875MHz and 461.3000MHz. The 461.3000MHz frequency must not be used in Northern Ireland and will be withdrawn at the end of 2006.
5. Local Communications (Speech paging with talkback)
All of the channels in this category may be used for on-site paging in non-hospital systems, with speech and talkback and/or numeric and/or alphanumeric messaging as required. These are two-frequency channels in three groups, as detailed below. The current licence fee varies depending on the site location. In general, for sites in Central London the fee is £200 per channel per site per year, for customers in Inner London around the central area the fee is £100 per channel per site per year and for all other areas in the UK the fee is £75 per channel per site per year. Channels in Groups B and C below are shared with one-way speech paging.
Paging (459MHz) frequencies are all 25 kHz channel spacing and talkback (159-164 MHz) frequencies are all 12.5kHz channel spacing for new systems. Some older existing systems using the 161 MHz frequencies have 25kHz channel spacing for talkback.
Group A - These channels have fixed pairings of paging and talkback frequencies that cannot be varied.
| 459.3250 / 161.0125 | 459.3750 / 161.0375 | 459.4000 / 161.0625 |
| 459.4250 / 161.0875 | 459.4750 / 161.1125 | | |
Group B - The pairings shown are preferred but any paging frequency may be used with any talkback frequency. 164.2000MHz talkback frequency may be used with any paging frequency in the group.
| 459.1750 / 159.6375 | 459.2000 / 159.6500 | 459.2250 / 159.6625 |
| 459.2750 / 159.6750 | 459.3000 / 159.7000 | **** / 164.2000 |
Group C - The pairings shown are preferred but any paging frequency may be used with any talkback frequency. 164.2000MHz talkback frequency may be used with any paging frequency in the group.
| 459.1250 / 161.0000 | 459.1500 / 161.0250 | 459.2500 / 161.0500 |
| 459.3500 / 161.0750 | 459.4500 / 161.1000 | **** / 164.2000 |
6. Private Wide Area Paging
There are channels available at VHF and UHF for Private Wide Area Paging. Speech is only permitted on the UHF channels. The current licence fee varies depending on the site location. In general, for transmitter locations in Central London the fee is £200 per transmitter per channel per year, for transmitter sites in Inner London around the central area the fee is £100 per transmitter per channel per year and for all other areas in the UK the fee is £75 per transmitter per channel per year.
a) VHF Paging Channels (153MHz Band)
| 153.3750 | 153.4000 | 153.4250 | 153.4500 | 153.4750 |
These are 25kHz channel spacing.
b) UHF Paging Channels (454MHz band, 447-450MHz band and 466MHz band)
Traditionally, UHF Private Wide Area Paging used channels in the 454MHz Band, but this band was closed in 2002 in preparation for the 450/470MHz Band Realignment Project. New channels were allocated in the 447-450MHz band, but it was necessary for these to be closed in early 2004 and two other channels were allocated in the 466MHz band. Now that the Band Realignment Project has been withdrawn, Ofcom has re-opened the 454MHz band.
The available UHF Private Wide Area Paging Channels are:
| 454.0250 | 454.0500 | 454.0750 | 454.1000 | 454.1250 | 454.1500 | 454.1750 | | 454.2500 | 454.2750 | 454.3000 | 454.3250 | 454.3500 | 454.7000 | 454.7750 |
These are 25 kHz channel spacing.
The normal maximum permitted power for Private Wide Area paging transmitters is 25 watts ERP.
You can apply for licences for paging systems on-line using Ofcom’s e-licensing interactive software, or you can download a paper application form (Of 21). Both are available at http://www.ofcom.org.uk
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