In mid 2017 Ofcom allocated a further 4 frequencies to the existing three 449MHz frequencies in use by the Business Radio Simple UK License. This decision was made in order to reduce congestion on this ever popular frequency range, which was getting so busy in some urban areas such as London, that some requests for licenses were being rejected because of the over use of radios using these frequencies. Users were struggling to find a channel where they didn’t get interference from other users and were constantly changing channels in an attempt to have a “private” conversation without picking up the transmissions of others.

(The details of the frequencies now available to users of a Business Radio Simple UK License can be found here.)

So in come the new frequencies… now transmissions can be spread across four additional frequencies helping to alleviate the congestion in major areas. Now if you are struggling to find a suitable channel you can have your radio re-programed to these new frequencies and hopefully enjoy a much “quieter” communication with your fellow users.

This has led some radio brands to offer use of these new frequencies in pre-programmed models of radios that you can use straight from the box without any programming knowledge required. (Of course you still have to apply and pay for the license). The Mitex Link for instance, is one such product. You can purchase this radio which has the first 8 channels programmed to the new frequencies, giving you instant access to relatively “traffic free” communications. The other 7 channels use the original three frequencies.

Additional frequencies were also allocated to the Business Radio Simple Site license. However this article is designed for the purpose of a simplified explanation for the general public using Simple UK licenses. Further details of both licenses and frequencies; and a more extensive explanation; can be found in the document from Ofcom:

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/102185/Statement-on-strategic-review-of-UHF-Ban…