OfW 152 GN Guidance Notes for Application ... - Ofcom Licensing

www.ofcom.org.uk OfW152GN 

How to fill in your licence application 

This guide has step-by-step instructions to help you fill in your 

OfW152, Point to Point Security CCTV Services Link Licence 

application form. It is aimed at new customers and for applicants 

who are unfamiliar with this licence application process. 

If, after reading this note, you need more help, please 

telephone the Fixed Wireless Services during office hours 

on 020 7981 3178. 

Contact the Ofcom Licensing Centre on 020 7981 3131 for any 

Ofcom forms, or information sheets referred to within these 

guidance notes. All information sheets are also available on 

the Ofcom website www.ofcom.org.uk. From time to time the 

OfW152 and the information within these guidance notes may 

change, for example due to policy changes. Therefore please 

check that you have the latest release. 

1 Introduction 

OfW152 can be used for any OfW152, Point to Point Security 

CCTV Services link that is to be deployed in geographical 

areas administered by Ofcom. 

1.1 Your responsibility 

It is your responsibility to design the system in accordance 

with Technical Frequency Assignment Criteria OfW31 

available from our website at: 

www.ofcom.org.uk 

Also you should ensure that the system(s) comply with the 

licensing conditions stated in UK Interface Requirement 2000 

(UK IR 2000). Please fill in the form legibly, completely and 

accurately. Any missing or false information may require us 

to return the form to you. 

Ref: OfW.152GN/Fol.112_01/07 

Guidance Notes for an application 

for Point to Point Security CCTV 

Services Link licence 

Point to Point Security CCTV Services: The term ‘Point to Point Security CCTV 

Services’ can also be referred to as ‘31 GHz Fixed Link ’, ‘31 GHz Point to Point 

Security CCTV Link’, ‘31 GHz CCTV Link’ and ‘31 GHz Link’. 

Page 1 of 7 

Please follow carefully the advice provided both in OfW152 

and in these guidance notes. 

If you are making an application for the first time then you 

will be required to pay the initial licence fee before we will 

process any subsequent applications or issue the licence 

documentation. 

Remember, no matter who applies on your behalf you are 

still legally responsible for your radio system. 

1.2 Our responsibility 

If we receive an incomplete form, we will attempt to contact 

you so that the required information can be obtained. If we 

are unable to contact you, or the required information is not 

available, we may return the form. 

When we are satisfied that all the correct information has 

been provided we will acknowledge this via the address 

stated in question B.2 on the form. 

1.3 Licence requirements 

The licence is issued under the terms of the Wireless 

Telegraphy Act 2006. It is an instrument under which Ofcom 

authorises the use of radio apparatus to ‘a person’. 

1.4 Point to Point Security CCTV Services service spectrum 

Currently users can only obtain access to the spectrum 

through a licence, unless the spectrum is exempt from 

needing a licence. 

1.5 Conditions regarding use of the licence 

Your licence will be issued subject to the following 

requirements. Please read them carefully. 

The licence supersedes all licences and schedules previously 

issued for the radio service.

The operation of a radio service other than in accordance 

with the terms and conditions of the licence is an offence. 

The licence is valid until the renewal date on the licence, and 

thereafter so long as the licensee continues to pay the 

renewal fee to Ofcom on or before the renewal date. 

All proposed changes to the radio service must first be made 

known to and, if agreed, authorised by Ofcom or its 

appointed spectrum management organisation(s). 

The licensee must ensure that any new person operating the 

stations observes the conditions of the licence. 

Ofcom or its appointed spectrum management organisation 

may at any time revoke the licence or vary the licence 

conditions providing an explanation of the reason(s) for this 

action. In such circumstances, the licensee will be informed 

using one or both of the following methods: 

a a notice in writing sent to the licensee; 

b a general notice given by public broadcast; 

Ofcom or its appointed organisation reserves the right to 

change at any time the frequencies assigned for the 

licensee’s use. 

The station(s) and the licence shall be available for inspection 

at all reasonable times (or when an urgent situation occurs at 

any time) by a person acting under the authority of Ofcom. 

The stations may be closed down at any time on the request 

of a person acting under the authority of Ofcom. 

Ofcom reserves the right to assign frequencies specified in 

the licence schedule to additional licensees. 

The stations shall transmit and receive only on the 

frequencies specified in the licence schedule. 

1.6 Ofcom treatment of amendments 

Simple amendments, prior to finalising the technical 

assignment, will be made at the discretion of the assignment 

engineer of the appointed spectrum management 

organisation. 

Ofcom will attempt to accommodate all changes to an 

existing licence, liaising with customers as and when 

required. Changes after the assignment stage will be treated, 

as a need to reassign. This will involve cancelling the original 

assignment and submitting a new application. The old 

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assignment will not be cancelled until the new one has been 

assigned. Any amendments, for any reason, will negate any 

previously applicable Quality of Service target and this will 

be reinitialised to the date of receipt of the amendment. 

2 General advice before answering questions 

2.1 Before starting 

When completing an OfW152 you may find it useful to have 

access to the following documents: 

• UK Interface Requirements 2000 (UK IR 2000): Point-topoint 

radio-relay systems operating in the fixed service 

frequency bands administered by Ofcom; 

• OfW31: Fixed point-to-point and point radio services with 

analogue modulation operating in the frequency ranges 

31.0 to 31.3 GHz paired with 31.5 to 31.8 GHz; 

• OfW48: UK Frequency Allocations for Scanning Telemetry 

and Fixed (Point-to-Point) Wireless Services; and 

• Point to Point Security CCTV Services (31 GHz Fixed Point 

to Point Security CCTV Link Terrestrial Video Surveillance) 

Licensing Procedures Manual. 

All are available on the website at: 


Then use these guidance notes to help you to answer the 

relevant questions. If you have any doubts about answering 

the OfW152 questions please contact the relevant appointed 

organisation (see guidance under section F) before 

submitting the application. 

2.2 How to fill in the form 

You must fill in the form entering the relevant information in 

each relevant field. It must be completed in black ink. Please 

write legibly. When options are provided then please place 

an X against the relevant choice. 

2.3 How to answer the questions 

We suggest you start by answering Section A working 

sequentially through the sections to Section H, answering all 

relevant questions.

Section A Purpose of application 

A.1 Please put an X in the appropriate box 

You have six options to select from: 

• New licence application; 

• Existing licence cancellation; 

• Amendment of contact details; 

• Application for a new link; 

• Technically reconfigure an existing link; 

• Existing link cancellation. 

Administrative amendments do not require technical 

consideration or re-assignment and these are therefore more 

straightforward for Ofcom to deal with. Option 3 should be 

chosen to indicate a change in customer details. Further 

advice is given in Section 1.6. 

Technical changes to a link should be indicated using 

Option 5 and typically this requires a re-assignment to be 

completed. Further details are given in Section 1.6. Under 

spectrum trading there is now a requirement to provide 

information to those intending to trade. Therefore Option 6 

is provided for this purpose. Similarly, for technical 

reconfigurations read Section 1.7. For technical 

reconfiguration enquiries you should also read the Licensing 

Procedures Manual for Point to Point Security CCTV Services 

Link Applications. You may also wish to read the Spectrum 

Trading Guidelines regarding potential trades. 

Important Note: 

In future, a request to cancel a link will mean that the link is 

removed from both the licence and the Ofcom assignment 

database at the time of notification so releasing the channel 

for re-allocation to other users. As noted above no credit for 

the ‘unused’ period to next renewal will be given, and if the 

existing licensee wishes to explore the possibility of trading a 

licensed link it is therefore important that they take no 

cancellation action prior to the next licence renewal date. 

Section B Contact details 

B.1 Do you already hold a Point to Point Security CCTV Services 

Link licence? 

If you are an existing customer of Ofcom you should cross 

(X) ‘Yes’ and proceed to question B.1.1, otherwise you should 

cross ‘No’. If No, please be aware that the licence fee will 

need to be paid before you can apply for any subsequent 

links or be issued with a licence. 

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B.1.1 If yes, please enter either your Ofcom Customer Reference 

Number, or other identifier (e.g. FSS/123, FWS/123) 

If you select ‘Yes’ to question B.1, you should enter your 

Ofcom Customer Reference Number in the box provided and 

go to section C. 

The Customer Reference Number, e.g. ‘0123456/001’, is your 

unique Ofcom sales ledger number that you can find on your 

licence renewal statement, or by contacting Ofcom. It is 

composed of two parts: 

• Part A is the seven digit integer customer reference 

number; and 

• Part B is the three digit account number. 

Ofcom cannot process an application or issue a licence 

unless the customer has an account. New customers will be 

assigned an Ofcom Customer Reference Number on receipt 

of their application(s). Therefore it is important that you 

enter this number correctly. 

B.2 To whom is the licence to be issued? 

Legally ‘a person’ may be an individual operating a business 

from one of their own premises or two or more people 

acting together as a Partnership, Company or an 

Incorporated Association. The WT Act licence must state the 

full name of the specific person, company or organisation so 

that the licence is quite clear. A list of legal entities is 

provided and you should choose one from the list. If not 

listed then you should specify this against ‘Other legal entity’. 

You are also required to enter all appropriate contact details 

here. It is a legal requirement that the original licence must 

be sent to the licensee’s registered office. Therefore this is 

the only address we will use to send you your licence and 

accompanying schedules. 

B.2.1 Company registration number 

Having a registration number is very much dependent on 

your legal status. You should check whether your legal entity 

requires you to do so. If so, please enter this in the box 

provided. 

B.2.2 Nature of business 

Please specify the nature of your business e.g. Water 

Authority, Government, Council, Fixed Link Operator, Third 

Party Contractor, etc.

B.3 Should the licensee, at B.2, also be contacted for account 

matters? 

If the contact given in question B.2 is the same address for 

account details then you should select this from the options 

and proceed to question B.4, otherwise you provide these 

details under question B.3.1. All invoices and payment 

requests will be sent to the contact address stated in 

question B.2. If the contact should change, you should notify 

Ofcom immediately in writing. 

B.3.1 If no, please provide the account contact details 

Please enter the contact details for account queries in the 

text spaces provided for name, address, town, postcode, 

telephone, fax and e-mail etc. 

B.4 Who should be contacted for technical matters? 

If a contact given in question B.2 or B.3 is the same for 

technical details then you should select the appropriate 

option, and go to section C. If not, you should provide these 

details under question B.4.1. 

B.4.1If neither, please provide the technical contact details 

Please enter the contact details for technical queries in the 

text spaces provided for name, address, town, postcode, 

telephone, fax and e-mail etc. 

Section C Common technical characteristics 

C.1 For a new application, please enter your own unique 

reference 

This question is mandatory for a new application but should 

be ignored if you are submitting either an amendment or 

cancellation. In which case, you should proceed to 

question C.2. 

For a new application, please fill in your own reference that 

uniquely identifies your system. You can use any combination 

of up to a maximum of 10 alpha/numeric characters. Please 

note that Ofcom will consider any characters such as ‘*’ and 

‘\’ etc. as a valid part of the Customer System Reference. 

C.2 If this is an amendment or a cancellation please quote your 

existing Ofcom Customer Link Reference Number 

When making an amendment or cancellation it is assumed 

you are an existing customer with an Ofcom Reference 

Number. You should enter your Ofcom Reference Number in 

this text field. 

C.2.1 Please enter the date from which you require the specified 

amendment or cancellation to become effective 

Page 4 of 7 

Please enter the date you require an amendment or 

cancellation to become effective. We will endeavour to meet 

this time scale, but before taking action, we will confirm the 

requirements with you to authenticate the request. You 

should use the date format dd/mm/yyyy. 

Section D Hub site technical characteristics 

D.1 Please provide the hub site location 

This question permits you to enter the hub site location 

details in various formats, which are: 

• National Grid Reference; 

• Latitude/longitude; and 

Further advice on each type is provided below. 

For providing National Grid, Irish Grid and Easting/Northing 

hub site reference details: 

The extended grid reference is an extension of the National 

Grid Reference and is preferred by some applicants. Effectively 

this extends the Easting and Northing for sites outside the 

usual National grid range and this is offered to customers, 

who are already familiar with this extended grid system. We 

will be pleased to assist customers should they wish to know 

more about the applicability of this reference system. 

The National Grid Reference (NGR) format is in three parts: 

• Part A is a two letter identifier for mainland UK, or one 

letter for Northern Ireland, which identifies the specific 

grid square in the National grid reference system; 

• Part B is for Easting; 

• Part C is for Northing. 

The preferred location precision for all frequency bands is 1 

metre (i.e. six figure Easting and six figure Northing). You 

should always enter the numerical Easting and Northing 

information starting from left to right and entering 0s for 

any unused spaces. 

For providing Latitude/longitude hub site reference details: 

Alternatively, you can specify the hub site in 

Latitude/Longitude format. You are required to enter the 

Latitude and Longitude in a separate series of boxes which 

use degrees (˚), minutes (') and seconds (''). Remember when 

entering the longitude to also select E (ast) or W (est).

D.2 Please give the hub site name and address 

For onshore sites, please enter the hub site name details in 

the spaces provided for name, address, town, county and 

postcode. You should attempt to provide as much detail as 

possible. Where sites have been used before please provide 

us with the existing site name. We understand that 

sometimes providing postcode information is difficult, 

particularly for rural locations. If so, please attempt to 

provide us with at least the first half of the post code. For an 

offshore hub site, please enter the site name and 

Block/Sector reference in which the system (including remote 

sites) will operate. 

D.3 Is this a new hub site mast or structure? 

If this is a new mast or structure please cross ‘Yes’, and 

proceed to question D.4.1. If not, cross ‘No’, and proceed to 

question D.3.2. The information you provide to this question 

and questions D.3.1, D.3.2, D.3.3 and D.4 will be assessed 

against the site clearance criteria for potential obstructions 

to aviation. You are reminded of your responsibility to obtain 

planning permission prior to installation. 

D.3.1 If yes, please state its height above ground/sea level 

For onshore sites, please provide the mast height measured 

above ground level (AGL). For offshore sites, please provide 

the mast height above mean sea level. 

D.3.2 If no, will the overall height of the existing mast or structure 

be increased? 

If the height of the existing mast or structure is to be 

increased, please tick ‘Yes’ and proceed to question D.3.3. If 

not, tick ‘No’ and proceed to question D.4. 

D.3.3 If yes, by how much is height of the mast increase? 

If ‘Yes’, enter the increase in height rounded up to the 

nearest metre. 

D.4 Please confirm the height of the hub site antenna in metres 

above ground level (or above mean sea level if offshore) 

For onshore sites, please provide the antenna height 

measured above ground level (AGL). For offshore sites, 

please provide the antenna height above mean sea level. 

D.5 Does the hub site system including antenna meet the 

licensing requirements of UK Interface Requirement 2037 

(UK RIR 2000)? 

Please cross ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ as appropriate. It is the 

responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the proposed 

hub site equipment is licensable. See UK RIR 2000. Your 

equipment supplier will be able to advise you on eligibility. 

Page 5 of 7 

D.6 Does the remote site system including antenna meet the 

licensing requirements of UK Interface Requirement 2000 

(UK IR 2000)? 

Please cross ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ as appropriate. It is the 

responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the proposed 

remote site is licensable. See UK IR 2000. Your equipment 

supplier will be able to advise you on eligibility. 

Section E Equipment and remote site details 

The questions are presented in a tabular manner allowing 

applications up to eight remote sites. 

E.1 Required service availability level 

You should cross the relevant service availability level for 

each system. This will be used to determine the overall link 

budget and assign the appropriate Effective Isotropically 

Radiated Power (EIRP) in dBW. The available options are 

99.9%, 99.99%, and 99.999%. 

E.2 Number of channels (e.g. 3) 

You should provide the number of channels used by each 

remote site. 

E.3 Type of service and video bandwidth 

You should specify the type of service and bandwidth used at 

each remote site. Typically this is ‘Video in 28 MHz’. 

E.4 Preferred polarisation 

Please cross ‘Vertical’, ‘Horizontal’ or ‘Either’ as appropriate 

for each remote site transmission. 

E.5 Hub site equipment information: manufacturer, model 

number and R&TTED notification number 

Please enter the hub site equipment manufacturer and 

model number, and the R&TTED Notification Number for the 

equipment if known transmitting to each remote site. 

E.6 Hub site antenna information: manufacturer and model 

number 

Please specify both the hub site manufacturer and model 

number of the antenna transmitting to each remote site. 

E.7 Hub site antenna gain 

Please enter the value of the hub site antenna gain in dBi 

transmitting to each remote site. 

E.8 Hub site feeder loss 

Please enter the value of the hub site main feeder loss in dB 

transmitting to each remote site.

E.9 Other losses at the hub site 

Please enter the value of any other of the hub site’s system 

losses (e.g. diplexer loss, antenna tail loss, feeder tail losses 

and connector losses.) transmitting to each remote site 

E.10 Hub site receiver sensitivity 

Please enter the value of the hub site receiver sensitivity 

level for the minimum equipment performance. ETSI 

standard EN 300 632 (2002- 06) provides the minimum 

value corresponding to ITU-R picture quality 5, which 

should be no worse than -56.0 dBm. 

E.11 Remote site location 

This question permits you to enter the remote site location 

details in various formats, which are: 

• National Grid Reference; 

• Latitude/Longitude; and 

Information on each format is provided in the advice for 

question D.1. 

E.12 Remote site name and address 

The advice for question D.2 is applicable here. 

E.13 Height of the remote site antenna in metres above ground 

level (or above mean sea level of offshore) 


E.14 Is this a new remote site mast or structure? 


E.14.1 If yes, please state its height above ground/sea level 

The advice for question D.3.1 is applicable here. 

E.14.2 If no, will the overall height of the existing mast or 

structure be increased? 


E.14.3 If yes, by how much is the mast increased? 


E.15 Estimated length of the radio link between the hub and 

remote site 

Please enter the length of the path in kilometres between 

the hub site to each remote site. This will be used as a 

simple cross-check to confirm the site location details 

provided in questions D.1 and E.11. 

Page 6 of 7 

E.16 Remote site equipment information: manufacturer, model 

number and R&TTED notification number. 

The advice for question E.5 is applicable here. 

E.17 Remote site antenna information: manufacturer and model 

number 


E.18 Remote site antenna gain 


E.19 Remote site feeder loss 


E.20 Other losses at the remote site 


E.21 Please state the remote site receiver sensitivity 

The advice for question E.10 is applicable here.

Section F Declaration 

Following the grant of any licence the licensee has 28 days in 

which to raise any objections to the conditions contained 

therein. 

The applicant completing the application should provide his 

or her name in capital letters, enter the date of the 

application in the following format dd/mm/yyyy and sign on 

behalf of the applicant. 

It is helpful from an evidential point of view if the applicant 

signs the declaration to acknowledge their obligation to 

state the truth. 

If you have not received acknowledgement of your 

application within two working weeks you should contact 

Fixed Wireless Services. Our contact details are below. We 

will send your licence to the contact you give to question B.2. 

Useful contacts for further advice on completing OfW152 

All new customers wishing to make an application or 

needing administrative, licensing or technical advice 

regarding 31 GHz point to point security CCTV links should 

contact: 

Fixed Wireless Services 

Ofcom Licensing Centre 

PO Box 56373 

London SE1 9SZ 

Telephone 020 7981 3178 

Facsimile 020 7981 3333 


Page 7 of 7 

Riverside House 

2a Southwark Bridge Road 

London SE1 9HA 

Switchboard +44 (0)20 7981 3000 

Facsimile +44 (0)20 7981 3333 


Ref: OfW.152GN/Fol.112_01/07

OfW 152 GN Guidance Notes for Application ... - Ofcom Licensing

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