FINAL REPORT - Stakeholders - Ofcom

in an appropriate manner. Last but not least a unified European position within the IMO
and ITU can help significantly in the achievement of UK objectives.
The United Kingdom was by no means insignificant in achieving the European approach
to radiocommunications that we have today. This now needs to be built upon to effectively
manage this valuable resource to the benefit of all. Proposals for change must therefore
be discussed openly in a transparent manner to determine whether or not envisaged
pricing arrangements will have a negative or positive impact on the UK maritime industry
as a whole. It will then have to be determined whether an incentive administrative pricing
regime for maritime authorisations will need to include an element which will reflect the
economic value of maintaining and extending the UK register of shipping.
Recommendation 6.3: Very little use is made of the MF telegraphy band. Narrowband
direct printing has not replaced Morse telegraphy as was expected to happen.
Except on 490 and 518 kHz, and on 500 kHz which despite full implementation of the
GMDSS has maintained a certain safety and distress function in some areas of the world,
there is little traffic in the band 415-526.5 kHz. It is therefore recommended that an in
depth and careful review of this band should be initiated with a view to allocate a
significant part of it for other applications. This could be part a European overall spectrum
review (DSI) covering LF, MF and HF spectrum, see also Recommendation 6.2 above.
Recommendation 6.4: Subject to the results of public consultation and any
European DSI process (see Recommendation 6.2 above) it is recommended that new
digital systems in the 2 MHz MF band should be considered on a national and noninterference
basis taking account of the need to maintain interoperability with ships from
foreign countries.
6.7 HF Communications
6.7.1 Frequency Allocations (international)
The following bands are available for maritime HF communications:
• 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 18/19, 22 and 25/26 MHz
Appendix 17 to the Radio Regulations contains the detailed frequencies and channelling
arrangements in the HF bands between 4000 and 27500 kHz allocated exclusively to the
maritime mobile service. The 3 lower frequency bands are particularly important for
maritime communications as they generally provide reliable night time communications at
any time in the solar cycle, except in periods of high geomagnetic activity in temperate
and northerly/southerly latitudes. Detailed charts of the 4, 6 and 8 MHz bands can be
found at Annex 5.
Frequencies are available for:
• ship stations for oceanographic data transmission;
• ship stations for telephony, duplex operation;
• ship and coast stations for telephony, simplex operation;
• ship and coast stations for telephony, duplex operation;
• ship stations for wide-band telegraphy, facsimile and special transmission
systems;
• ship stations (paired) for NBDP telegraphy and data transmission systems at
speeds not exceeding 100 Bd for FSK and 200 Bd for PSK;
• ship stations for calling in Morse telegraphy;
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