OFCOM FAQ's

Below are some likely questions, together with some generic answers. For details as to the specific effects of the OFCOM licence changes on your site, please contact your Stanley Sales Manager, or ‘phone the Stanley helpline on.

1. I use Stanley mobiles for staff protection. What is the risk to my users?

OFCOM will now grant a licence to transmit on any of the frequencies listed in Appendix B to any applicant. The licensee can choose to transmit on any of the frequencies covered by the licence without informing OFCOM. If a licensee near to your site transmits on the same frequency as that used by the Stanley staff protection mobiles on your site, then there is a possibility that the alarm will not be received. How big this possibility is depends upon a number of factors, namely:

• The distance to the interfering transmitter
• The height of the interfering transmitter
• The power of the interfering transmitter
• The attenuating characteristics of any buildings and structures between your site and the interfering transmitter
• The attenuating characteristics of the walls of your building
• Whether you use mobiles outdoors

2. I use the Stanley mobiles for paging. What is the risk of a call not being received?

This depends on a number of factors. OFCOM could grant a licence to a nearby site to transmit at powers of up to 2 Watts. Whether or not a nearby site will interfere with your signals will depend upon a number of factors. Some of these are:

• The distance to the interfering transmitter
• The height of the interfering transmitter
• The power of the interfering transmitter
• The attenuating characteristics of any buildings and structures between your site and the interfering transmitter
• The attenuating characteristics of the walls of your building
• Whether you use mobiles outdoors

3. Which frequencies are affected?

These are listed in Appendix A.

4. Can I ask OFCOM not to grant a licence nearby which will interfere with my communications?

Stanley has made strenuous representations to OFCOM, both individually and with the On-Site Communications Association, the Industry body, for precisely this restriction. OFCOM has stated that they are unable to vet applications for a light licence based on location.

5. My mobiles are only used in-doors. Are they likely to be subject to interference?

Again, this depends on a number of factors. Typically a building will offer up to 10dB attenuation of a signal, which will reduce the power of a 2 Watt signal down to 200mW. To put this into perspective, our paging transmitters transmit at 2 Watts power and over; our staff protection mobiles transmit at less than 10mW. We can give specific advice if you contact us.

6. Will I know whether a nearby site has been granted a licence before they start transmitting?

Without a continuous monitoring of the OFCOM on-line database, this will be impossible.

7. How can I prevent interference?

The only way to be sure of preventing interference in both the short and long term is to upgrade your Stanley radio equipment to new Stanley equipment which is tuned to operate on frequencies covered by "Technically Assigned" licences. These are licences which OFCOM will only grant if there are no nearby conflicting transmitters. Stanley offers mobiles, receivers and transmitters which operate within these frequencies.

8. What is involved in an upgrade?

Radio transmitters, mobiles and base-receivers will have to be replaced with new equipment transmitting and receiving on new frequencies.
Antennas may have to be changed depending on the frequencies used.
Location beacons (used in staff protection systems), cabling, will NOT have to be changed.

9. Is Stanley the only company affected by this?

No. The OFCOM changes have potentially affected other members of the industry association, the On-Site Communications Association, and all suppliers of radio equipment. Some suppliers are affected less than others due to the frequencies used.

10. Who can tell me precisely how my site is affected?

Please contact your Stanley account manager by contacting the Stanley helpline on 0845 301 6192

10. Who can tell me precisely how my site is affected?

Appendix A. Contact numbers for further information.

Stanley Helpline 0845 301 6192

Appendix B – list of frequencies which a “light” licensee may use