The Wireless Telegraphy (White Space Devices) (Exemption) Regulations 2015

Explanatory note

Reproduced verbatim from the instrument as published on legislation.gov.uk (Crown Copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0). The note is prepared by the responsible government department and is not part of the instrument itself.

These Regulations exempt the use of certain wireless telegraphy stations and wireless telegraphy apparatus using white space technology in the digital terrestrial television frequency band (470 to 790 MHz) from the requirement to be licensed under section 8(1) of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 (c.36) (“the Act”).

Regulation 3 provides for an exemption where the terms, conditions and limitations set out in regulation 4 are met.

Regulation 4 exempts white space devices, which must be master devices or slave devices and categorised as Type A equipment or Type B equipment.

Master devices are devices capable of communicating with and obtaining master operational parameters from a database for the purpose of transmitting within the frequency band 470 MHz to 790 MHz.

Slave devices are devices capable of transmitting within the frequency band 470 MHz to 790 MHz after receiving slave operational parameters from a master device.

Schedule 1 lists the organisations which may operate databases from which white space devices may obtain master operational parameters and slave operational parameters.

Master devices and slave devices must not be used airborne and they must be configured such that a user is unable to input, reconfigure or alter technical characteristics of the device (regulation 5).

Regulations 6 and 7 set out specific requirements relating to use of master devices and slave devices.

Regulations 10 and 11 set out the information which will be provided by a database to master devices and slave devices (master operational parameters and slave operational parameters).

Regulation 12 sets out certain information that must be communicated to a database in respect of master devices and slave devices (channel usage parameters).

A full regulatory impact assessment of the effect that these Regulations will have on costs to business is available to the public from OFCOM’s website at http://www.ofcom.org.uk or from the OFCOM library at Riverside House, 2a Southwark Bridge Road, London SE1 9HA (Tel: 020 7981 3000). Copies of this assessment have also been placed in the library of the House of Commons.