Patterson Electronics Ltd are licensed by Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, to sell, install, service and hire business radio, marine equipment and radio paging equipment.
We are authorised to allocate business radio equipment to customers awaiting Business Radio licences, for up to three months (‘parking’) and demonstrate business radio equipment to customers for up to 8 days.
Other than PMR446, which is licence exempt for approved equipment, most radio systems require a licence issued by Ofcom to operate legally.
As many users or potential users find the licensing and licence renewal process complicated Patterson Electronics offer a licensing service for our Customers.
The two levels of licensing service that we offer:
- Using an online link to Ofcom we can apply for a licence on behalf of our Customers. We charge a modest admin fee for this service plus the cost of the license fee.
- Alternatively, and a service that is becoming very popular, we can offer a fully managed licensing service whereby we apply for a licence in our name on behalf of our Customer. This has the advantage that we manage the licence and ensure that it is renewed when required and it is generally easier for our Customers to make a payment to us rather than directly to Ofcom. Patterson Electronics are licensed by Ofcom to provide this service under a frequency leasing arrangement.
We can also apply, using an on-line link, for amendments to licences, again, for a modest admin charge.
There are several types of Business radio licences available:
- Simple Site Light
Uses include localised voice and paging systems for sites using a base station and antenna. Return messages cannot be sent to the base station. The coverage area is required to be within the premises or perimeter of a local site. Licensees (or in practice their suppliers) choose from a range of frequencies shared with other users of this type of licence. Typical distance covered is up to three kilometres. Cost: is £75 for five years with no protection from interference from other users. Patterson Electronics do not generally recommend this type of licence for site specific use. - Simple UK Light
These systems transmit speech messages from handheld to handheld radios, anywhere in the UK, without the need for a base station. Users have shared access to a set number of frequencies and signalling tones along with all other customers who hold a Simple UK Light licence. The cost: is £75 for five years. This licence is ideal for those users that move from site to site. We would not generally recommend this type of licence for safety critical applications such as communications with tower cranes. - Technically Assigned
For customers who wish to have a particular frequency assigned to them within a stated coverage area . Typical users include transport such as buses and taxis, energy suppliers, shopping precincts and factories. Base stations and services such as talk-through and data are permitted on technically assigned licenses. Coverage can range from one to one hundred kilometres depending on the customer’s requirement. Cost is based on location and the number of channels and ranges from £75 to £1480 per annum. - Area Defined
An Area Defined licence allows you exclusive use of a frequency within a defined area. This area can encompass a 50km2 map square, a country or you can choose to operate the frequency across the United Kingdom. Cost is based on the area you wish to cover and your choice of frequency and can cost anything up to £9900 for UK wide operation. Owing to the cost this type of licence is generally only suitable for large organisations with large mission critical radio systems.
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Contact us now to discuss your current or future licensing requirements.
