Licensing
Allocations and equipment licences are issued by the Communications Department of the Velocity Interoperability Network under the classes described under Spectrum and in the bands set out under Spectrum Allocations. The procedure below applies to every application. Applications are sent to contact@communications.gov.vin.
The Licensing Office began accepting applications on 6 September 2026. Applications received before the Department was established have been carried forward and recorded in the Register of Allocations as pending; their applicants need take no further action.
- 20
- Working days to decide a complete application
- 5
- Working days to decide a temporary allocation
- 31
- Applications carried forward and recorded as pending on the opening day
- 0
- Fee for an allocation, licence or renewal
How to apply. The steps below apply to every class of allocation and licence. An application that omits any of the contents required for its class is acknowledged but is not examined until the missing information is supplied.
Step 1: Identify the class of allocation
Decide which of the allocation classes described under Spectrum applies to the intended use, and check in the band plan that the band you intend to use is open to allocation under that class. Class A and Class D channels are not available for application.
Step 2: Prepare the application
State the applicant, the intended use, the equipment to be operated, the period for which the allocation is sought and, for a shared service, the members party to the service agreement. The contents required for each class are set out in the table below.
Step 3: Submit the application
Send the application to the Department by email from the official address of the applicant. The Department acknowledges receipt within two working days and records the application in the Register of Allocations as pending.
Step 4: Examination
The Department checks the application against the register for conflicts with existing allocations, against the band plan for the class and band sought, and against the certification of the equipment named in it. It may ask the applicant for further information; the time taken to supply it is not counted towards the decision period.
Step 5: Decision
The Department issues the allocation or licence, issues it subject to conditions, or refuses it with reasons. Every decision is recorded in the register and notified to the applicant by email.
Step 6: Operation and renewal
Equipment may transmit from the date shown on the allocation. Renewal is sought before the term expires; a lapsed allocation may not be used until it is renewed.
What an application must contain. The information required depends on the class of allocation sought.
| Class | Required contents |
|---|---|
| B: Member primary | Name of the member and date of admission; sites from which equipment will transmit; equipment and its certification; channel width sought |
| C: Shared service | Name of the service; members party to the service agreement and the date it takes effect; the member responsible for the equipment; sites and equipment; channel width sought |
| E: Licensed equipment | Holder; equipment category and certificate number; number of units; locations of use; purpose |
| F: Temporary | Applicant; purpose of the exercise, event or trial; start and end dates; sites and equipment; channel width sought |
Terms. Allocations and licences are issued for the terms shown below. Conditions may be attached to any allocation or licence, and are recorded in the register and stated on the allocation.
| Class | Term | Renewal |
|---|---|---|
| Class B: Member primary | Term of membership | Renewed with membership |
| Class C: Shared service | Life of the service agreement | Renewed with the agreement |
| Class E: Licensed equipment | 12 months | On application before expiry |
| Class F: Temporary | Up to 30 days | Not renewable; a new application is required |
Renewing or varying an allocation. Renewal is a simpler procedure than a new application, provided nothing has changed. The steps below apply to Class B, Class C and Class E allocations; a Class F temporary allocation is not renewable.
Step 1: Check the expiry date
The expiry date of every allocation and licence is recorded in the register and stated on the allocation. The Department writes to holders 60 days before a Class E licence expires; holders of Class B and Class C allocations are responsible for tracking the membership or agreement on which their allocation depends.
Step 2: Confirm that the allocation is still required
A holder that no longer needs an allocation should surrender it rather than renew it, so that the channel can be re-allocated. Surrender is by email and takes effect on the date stated.
Step 3: Apply for renewal
State the allocation to be renewed and confirm that the equipment, sites and use are unchanged. Where any of them has changed, apply instead for a variation, which is examined as a new application for the changed elements only.
Step 4: Renewal
An unchanged allocation is renewed within five working days and the new expiry date recorded in the register. Any notices of interference recorded against the allocation during its term are reviewed at renewal and conditions may be attached.
Equipment certification. Equipment named in an application must be certified in one of the categories below before the application can be decided. The power limit is the maximum radiated power for the category; an allocation may impose a lower limit. Certified equipment is listed in the register by model and certificate number.
| Category | Description | Power limit | Channel width |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed station | Transmitters at a fixed site operating under a Class B or Class C allocation | Up to 50 W | As allocated |
| Mobile station | Transmitters in vehicles or carried by staff under a Class B or Class C allocation | Up to 10 W | As allocated |
| Point-to-point link | Directional links between sites in Bands VIII, X and XII | Up to 2 W to the antenna | As allocated |
| Short-range device | Telemetry, sensors and site equipment in Band VII under a Class E licence | Up to 25 mW | 200 kHz |
| Local network equipment | Equipment serving a single site in Band XI under a Class E licence | Up to 200 mW | 20 MHz |
| Test equipment | Signal generators and test transmitters in Bands VII and XI under a Class E licence | Up to 10 mW | As stated on the certificate |
A manufacturer or member seeking certification of a model of equipment sends the manufacturer's test results to the Department together with a description of the equipment and the category sought. The Department decides within 20 working days and may carry out its own measurements where the results submitted are incomplete. A certificate remains valid while the model is unchanged.
Common questions.
The procedure for reporting interference with an allocated channel, and the obligations that attach to every allocation, are set out under Interference. Further questions are answered in the frequently asked questions.