Wireless Test & Trial

Overview

ComReg operates a special licensing regime to encourage innovation and development involving new radio technologies or services. Two licence types are available, one covering technology tests and the other covering service trials involving third parties or the public.

Test Licences relate solely to the carrying out of tests of novel or innovative
radio equipment, uses of spectrum or technologies and may not be appropriate
where the applicant is seeking in the longer term to acquire a full operational
licence for the service under test;
Trial Licences relate to the carrying out of trials of novel or innovative radio
services involving members of the public or other third parties. Trial licences
will be available for any new service that does not fit within existing licence
categories.

Both licences are intended to support genuinely novel research and development activities and are not intended for the commercial delivery of electronic communication services.

A number of restrictions apply to the Test and Trial Licences to differentiate them from other types of licence; in particular limits apply to the duration and, in the case of Trial Licences, the number of third party participants and the charges that can be levied on participants.

Test Licences will not permit the involvement of members of the public in the tests.

Trial licenses will permit limited participation by third parties including members of the public.

Authorisation Details

A General Authorisation is not requried before applying for this particular licence type - Please proceed to our Licensing Information

Wireless Test and Trial Licensing

This licence allows the licensee to testing or trialing innovative wireless services. It may also be issued to licence a new wireless service which does not fit within an existing licensing category.

A Wireless Test Licence allows the licensee to carry out research and development using radio spectrum which may involve the testing, development, evaluation, improvement and/or advancement of new and novel wireless applications.

A Wireless Test Licence does not allow the licensee to provide services to third parties or involve members of the public. This can be facilitated with a Wireless Trial Licence.

A Wireless Trial Licence is a licence which allows the licensee to carry out trials of novel or innovative radio services involving members of the public or other third parties, for the purpose of testing applications and apparatus.

Why do I need a licence?

Unless licence exempted, all wireless telegraphy equipment requires a licence.

The regulations governing the issue of Wireless Test Licences is the:

Wireless Telegraphy (Research and Development Licence) Regulations, 2005 (S.I. 113 of 2005)

The regulations governing the issue of Wireless Trial Licences is the:

Wireless Telegraphy (Third Party Trial Licence) Regulations, 2005 (S.I. 114 of 2005)

How can I apply for a licence?

Step 1. Reading Information

The applicant should read ComReg’s guidance information to familiarise themselves with the licensing scheme and the application requirements

Wireless Test & Trial Licence Application - Guidance Notes

Step 2. Submitting the Application

The application form should be completed and submitted to ComReg along with the full licence fee.

Wireless Test Licence - Application Form

Wireless Trial Licence - Application Form

Details on how to complete the form and submit it are contained in the above documents. Please note that incomplete applications may result in your application being returned as non-valid

Once I have a licence, are there licence obligations to comply with?

Yes, the licensee must comply with the Wireless Test or Trial Licence conditions which are included within the licence documentation sent to the licensee.

In particular licensees must ensure that their radio installation does not cause harmful interference to other licensees.

Can I renew my licence?

A Test or Trial Licence is valid for a specified duration, limited to a maximum period of twelve months from the date of issue. Where the nature of the test or trial requires a longer duration and the radio spectrum that is licensed is not required for other purposes, ComReg may consider extending the duration of the licence for a further period (maximum 12 months), subject to a formal application from the holder of the licence.

Can I amend my licence?

Yes, to amend your licence the standard application form should be submitted to ComReg with the appropriate fee if applicable. Please write “amendment” on the form to indicate that it is an amendment.

Can I cancel my licence?

Yes, to cancel a licence a formal written request should be submitted to ComReg from a verified email, fax or post contact address. Before cancellation, ComReg may contact you for verification purposes.

Can I contact ComReg if I have a query?

Yes, please contact the Licensing Operations Team in ComReg (tel. 01 8049600), or alternatively please send an e-mail to licensing@ComReg.ie

Previously issued Test and Trial Licences
Organisation	Description of Radio Service
Altobridge	GSM solution testing
BT Communications Ltd.	WiMAX Testing
Digiweb Ltd.	IP versus TDM based solutions (23GHz)
e2v Technologies Ltd.	Testing of thermal imaging equipment
Guidant Corporation	Test licence for medical implants (900MHz band)
Hutchison 3G Ireland Ltd.	DVB-H trial
IBM RFID & Wireless Centre T/A	Test licence for RFID
International Business Machines	Test licence for UWB
Intel Ireland Ltd.	WiMAX Capability Testing
Imagine communications	WiMAX Product Testing
Irish Broadband Internet Services Ltd	WiMAX Testing
Irish Radio Transmitter Society	5 MHz Beacon Propagation Test
LM Ericsson Limited	Collaborative Developmental Testing for GSM and WCDMA Technologies
Motorola Ltd.	Tetra Tests
National University of Maynooth (NUIM)	WiMAX Network Trial
On-Air SARL	GSM on Aircraft Ground Tests
PCTEL Antenna Products Group Inc	Antenna Tests, 400MHz to 2500MHz
RTE Transmission Network Ltd.	T-DAB trial (private trial; limited duration) DRM trial DTT trial DVB-H testing
Solaris Mobile Ltd.	Satellite and terrestrial mobile services in the S-Band
Swiftcall	Broadband trial
Tango Telecom	GSM solution testing (advanced charging and messaging products)
Telefonica O2 Communications Ltd.	FWA Testing DVB-H trial
Trinity College, Centre for Telecommunications Value-chain Research (CTVR)	Testing of reconfigurable software-based radio and dynamic spectrum management techniques.
Trinity College Dublin, Centre for Telecommunications Value-chain Research	Cognitive radio, cognitive networks, and dynamic spectrum access techniques (IEEE DySPAN 2007)
TYCO Safety Products (Sensormatic)	UHF product testing (865 - 868MHz)
UCD Dublin School of Computer Science and Informatics	UWB location tracking system evaluation
University of Dublin (TCD)	Test licence for UWB WiMAX Trial
UPC Communications Ireland Ltd	Broadband Trial
Waterford Institute of Technology	Participation in EU project 'daidalos' (FP6 IST)
Wireless Projects Ireland Ltd.	Wi-Fiber technology testing
Vodafone Ireland Ltd.	Trial of 900 MHz spectrum for 3G services

Test and Trial Spectrum Management

ComReg sees the test and trial licence scheme as an opportunity to leverage unused spectrum assets in order to attract investment into Ireland and to encourage the establishment of T&T laboratories and facilities in Ireland. ComReg will:

Continue to seek opportunities to promote the T&T licence scheme
Facilitate applications for the scheme in any available, unused spectrum

Radio Interference Investigation

ComReg's Spectrum Compliance Section collates and prioritises interference complaints received according to the potential seriousness of the reported interference, awarding the emergency services (Air Traffic Control, Fire and Ambulance Services and Gardai) the highest priority.

If you are experiencing interference to a wireless service, whether directly licenced by ComReg or not the following procedures apply:

Check your own equipment and installation. It may be that our own equipment is not operating at optimum and/or cables may have become frayed/weathered.
If you do not feel sufficiently knowledgeable to assess your own systems performance, contact your installer/supplier.
If you or your installer have determined that the degradation of your wireless operation is attributable to external interference, please complete the Radio Interference Form and submit to the Spectrum Compliance Section at compliance@comreg.ie

The Spectrum Compliance Team in ComReg investigate cases of interference external to the licensees own installation. This is a service that is provided as part of your license fee and as such there is no charge, therefore please ensure that your license is up to date before you contact ComReg.