Services · Licensing and frequency management
Licensing and frequency management to keep a radio network compliant, from the first application to the renewals.
We follow the whole licensing process of a professional radio network: choice of the band, check on channel availability, technical documentation in support of the application, filing of the application, and dealings with the competent authority until the license is granted. Once the license is in place, we take care of renewals and amendments, keep the frequency plan up to date, and go out to measure when interference appears on the channels in service.
The frequencies of professional radio networks are a state resource: without a license authorizing their use, a system cannot enter service. The process almost always stalls for the same reasons: incomplete technical annexes, declared data that does not match the equipment actually installed, a channel already taken by another system in the area, a renewal nobody followed up and an expired license. Every one of them means a wait the works schedule had not allowed for.
That is why we treat the application as part of the project, not as a separate formality. We work out how many channels are needed starting from the services the network has to carry, we check with spectrum measurements which carriers are already present in the area, we prepare the technical documentation and file the application; then we handle the dealings with the competent Ministry and with the territorial inspectorate (Ispettorato Territoriale) until the license is granted. From that point on we keep the register of the assigned channels, take care of renewals and amendments, and go back to measure when interference appears on the frequencies in service.
The cases we handle.
A network may need a first assignment, an update to a license already granted, management of its channels through the years of service, or technical support when interference appears on the frequencies in use.
New license
When the network does not exist yet, or changes technology, we define how many channels are needed, check which frequencies are available in the area, and prepare the application with the technical annexes required.
Renewals and amendments
A license already granted has to be kept up to date: we follow the renewal deadlines and file the amendments when the sites, the equipment, the antennas, or the holder of the license change.
Frequency plan management
We keep the register of the assigned channels site by site and service by service, verify that the programming of the equipment matches what has been authorized, and coordinate the channels when a new system enters service in the same area.
Interference and reports to the authority
When interference appears on the channels in service, we measure the spectrum at the place and time it occurs, look for the source with a directional antenna, and prepare the technical documentation in support of the report to the competent authority.
What the application covers.
The checks, the documents, and the formalities that make up the licensing process, grouped by topic.
Requirements and choice of the band
- Services the network has to carry: voice communication, data transmission, telemetry, and alarms
- Area to be covered, number of radio sites planned, and number of users to connect
- Technology and band: analog VHF/UHF, DMR or TETRA, with the number of carriers needed at each site
- Type of terminal in service: portable, mobile, or fixed, with the output power of each
- Type of use requested: private radio network, coverage of a service area, point-to-point backbone links
Channel availability and compatibility
- Review of the systems already present in the area and of the frequencies assigned to other license holders
- Spectrum measurements in the requested band, to detect which carriers are already active on site
- Compatibility with the customer’s systems already in service and with the adjacent channels
- Channel reuse distances between the sites of the same network
- Intermodulation products and antenna isolation at sites with several carriers
Supporting technical documentation
- List of the sites with coordinates, ground elevation, and antenna height above ground
- Equipment characteristics: output power, channel bandwidth, and emission class
- Antennas: type, gain, radiation pattern, azimuth, and tilt
- Block diagrams of the system and layout drawings of the radio sites
- Technical report and coverage maps of the service area requested
Filing and dealings with the authorities
- Completion of the forms and assembly of the dossier to be filed
- Check that the annexes are complete before filing
- Filing of the application with the competent Ministry and with the Ispettorato Territoriale for the area
- Answers to the requests for clarification and further documents received during the review
- Regular updates to the customer on the status of the application
Renewals, amendments, and terminations
- Expiry dates of the license and filing of the renewal application within the deadlines
- Amendments to the authorized data: new sites, relocation of equipment, replacement of antennas
- Update of the declared characteristics after the radio equipment has been replaced
- Transfers of title when the holder or the operator of the infrastructure changes
- Notice of termination for decommissioned systems
The frequency plan over time
- Register of the assigned channels by site, by service, and by technology
- Assignment of the channels to talkgroups and to terminal profiles
- Check that the programming of the equipment matches what has been authorized
- Channel coordination when a new system enters service in the same area
- Update of the plan after every authorized amendment
Interference on the channels in service
- Spectrum measurements at the place and time the interference occurs
- Search for the source with a directional antenna and a measuring receiver
- Distinction between interference coming from outside and a fault in the system
- Technical documentation of the measurements in support of the report to the competent authority
- Work on the system to reduce the interference: filters, re-aiming of the antennas, request for a different channel
Microwave links
- Point-to-point and point-to-multipoint links: band requested, polarization, and power
- Coordinates of the two ends of the hop, azimuth, and antenna heights
- Terrain profile of the hop and check on the line of sight between the two sites
- Technical documentation for the frequency request for the link
How a licensing application runs.
The cycle we follow, from the first request to the management of the license in the years that follow.
- Step 01
Requirements analysis
We start from the services the network has to carry, from the area to be covered, and from the terminals in service, then we choose the band and establish how many carriers each site needs.
- Step 02
Availability check
We gather the information on the systems already present in the area and take spectrum measurements in the requested band: the frequencies we propose are compatible with what is already in service.
- Step 03
Documentation and application
We prepare the technical report, the diagrams, and the data of the sites and of the equipment, complete the forms, and file the application with the competent authority.
- Step 04
Review and grant
We answer the requests for clarification that arrive during the review and keep the customer up to date on the status of the application. When the license is granted, we program the equipment onto the assigned frequencies.
- Step 05
Management in the years that follow
We keep an eye on the deadlines, file renewals and amendments, update the frequency plan, and go out to measure when interference appears on the channels in service.
What you receive.
The documents that stay with the customer, useful in operation and at audits and tenders.
- Frequency requirements analysis
The document that relates the services the network has to carry, the radio sites planned, and the carriers needed, with the band proposed and the reasons for the choice.
- Technical dossier of the application
The completed forms and the annexes filed with the authority: site data, characteristics of the equipment and of the antennas, diagrams, and technical report.
- Frequency plan
The assigned channels site by site, service by service, and technology by technology, with the parameters declared in the application.
- Copy of the license and of its annexes
The license granted by the authority, filed together with the correspondence of the application and available whenever it is needed at an audit or a tender.
- Schedule of licensing deadlines
The list of the renewal deadlines and of the obligations of every license, with advance notice to the customer ahead of each date.
- Interference report
The spectrum measurements taken, the source identified, and the work proposed, ready to attach to the report to the competent authority.
Which sectors use this service.
The sectors that turn to this service most often.
Highways and tunnels
We design, install, and maintain the radio coverage and monitoring systems for Autostrade per l’Italia, SITMB, SAV, RAV, Asti-Cuneo, and many other concessionaires. Over more than twenty years we have equipped more than 500 km of routes and over 100 tunnels.
Public safety
We design, build, and maintain mission-critical radio networks and control rooms for law enforcement, emergency medical services, and Protezione Civile: TETRA, DMR, and P25 networks, powered by the Respondr dispatch platform and over twenty years of experience in communications where failure is not an option.
Utilities and industry
We design, install, and maintain professional radio networks, ATEX-certified PoC devices, and LoRaWAN sensor networks for energy operators, utilities, and high-risk industrial environments. For clients like Iren, we bring over twenty years of experience in mission-critical communications.
Products used.
The products developed in-house by Teleproject that we use in this service.
- Watch over radio carriers in tunnels and outdoors.
TP-RFX
An RF spectrum analyzer built for outdoor environments: a 15 MHz – 2.7 GHz frequency range that keeps TETRA, DMR, PMR, FM, DAB, LoRa, and Wi-Fi carriers under real-time control. IP67 enclosure, PoE power over a single Ethernet cable, notifications by email, SNMP, and relay output. WhatsApp and Telegram via Track-TP.
15 MHz – 2.7 GHzIP67PoE 36–56 V - Web platform for infrastructure supervision
Track-TP
Track-TP is the platform developed in-house by Teleproject for real-time supervision of network equipment, servers, Mission-Critical radio systems, and IoT/LoRaWAN sensors. A high-quality solution with configurable dashboards, multi-channel alarms, and exportable history, available in cloud or on-premises.
SNMP v1/v2c/v3RESTLoRaWAN 868 MHz
Frequently asked questions.
The questions we hear most often about this service.
How long does it take to obtain the license?
The timescales depend on the authority involved, on the band requested, and on how complete the filed dossier is, so there is no single duration that holds for every case. What we can influence is the stage before filing: we check the annexes before the application goes in, because a request for further documents received during the review lengthens the wait. We allow for the review in the works schedule from the outset, so the application starts far enough ahead of the installation work.
If we change supplier, does the license stay valid?
Yes. The license is held by the party that uses the frequencies, that is the organization running the network, not by Teleproject: the frequencies stay assigned to the customer even when the company handling maintenance or paperwork changes. We file the application on the customer’s behalf, keep the dossier, and monitor the deadlines, and we hand over a copy of the license, of its annexes, and of the frequency plan. If instead the holder changes, meaning the organization that runs the infrastructure, the position is updated through a transfer of title.
Can the frequencies be used before the license is granted?
No. The equipment must not transmit on the requested frequencies until the authority has granted the license, and transmitting without a license carries penalties. The work that comes before the grant can go ahead all the same: the spectrum measurements in the area are made in receive only, and equipment, antennas, and cabling are installed while the application is under review. We program the channels into the radios once the assigned frequencies are known.
How do you check that a channel is really free before applying for it?
Consulting the registers is not enough. A channel can look available on paper and be occupied on site by a nearby installation, perhaps switched on only at certain hours. So we install a TP-RFX on site, the outdoor spectrum analyser developed by Teleproject, and leave it listening on the band 24/7 for the period agreed with the customer. At the end we know how many hours a day that channel stays free and in which time bands traffic appears: the application then goes out on a frequency we have seen to be available, not merely declared as such.
How do you find interference on a frequency already assigned?
With the same instrument, this time left in service. The TP-RFX stays installed on site and monitors in real time the carriers present on the band: when a foreign emission appears on the channel in service, it sends the alert by email, SNMP, and relay output, or via WhatsApp and Telegram through Track-TP. Interference that comes and goes, at night or only on certain days, does not show up in a few hours of measurement; recorded over time it becomes recognisable, and that record is the document with which we ask the competent authority to clear the channel.
Do we need a new license if we move from analog to digital?
If the sites and the band stay the same, you do not start from scratch. Moving to DMR or TETRA does change the data declared in the application, from the emission class to the channel bandwidth to the characteristics of the equipment, so the license has to be updated through an amendment. If instead the network grows with new sites, or further carriers are needed, the request also covers the assignment of new channels. In both cases we first check which frequencies are available in the area, and we update the frequency plan once the license is granted.
Request a quote for licensing and frequency management.
One of our Project Managers analyzes your specific project requirements and prepares a dedicated technical and commercial proposal.