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New licensing arrangements for wireless microphone users

Madonna mainOfcom today announced it is revising licensing arrangements for wireless microphone users to help them better plan for the future.

Wireless microphone users currently have exclusive use of one dedicated channel – channel 69 – which will be cleared in 2012 to allow for new uses, particularly mobile broadband.

To safeguard the future interests of wireless microphone users, Ofcom announced earlier this year that they would be able to use a replacement channel – channel 38 – which will offer the same utility as channel 69.

Licensees were notified today by letter that from 4 January 2010, channel 38 will become available on a shared use basis.

Reducing costs and bureaucracy

This means that equipment used in different locations can be covered by the same licence, reducing costs and bureaucracy particularly for those who travel with their equipment.

It will also give confidence to those looking to invest in new equipment that uses this channel.

Channel 38 is already available for wireless microphone use in most of the UK.

• Channel 38 to be made available on a shared use basis

• Shared access to channels 39 and 40 where channel 38 is not yet fully available

• Shared use of channel 69 also included in new licences until 2012

However there are a number of locations where it will not be fully available until 1 January 2012.

This is because of the need to protect radioastronomy sites in Cheshire and Cambridgeshire and terrestrial television transmissions in adjacent channels where digital switchover has not taken place.

Extra channels

To assist wireless microphone users, Ofcom has arranged, where possible, for channels 39 and 40 to be made available on the same shared licence in all of these locations until channel 38 becomes fully available.

In addition, channel 69 will also be included in the new licences, effectively rolling up to four channels – 38, 39, 40 and 69 – into the one licence.

Ofcom has also proposed that most of the 32 channels of spectrum retained for digital terrestrial television after switchover should continue to be available for PMSE, to meet the future needs of users.

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