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The Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) today (January 20) announced the creation of a Class Licence for Citizens' Band Radio to allow public use of the radio for recreational and other communications purposes.
CB radio is a two-way radio communications device operating in the 26.96 ¡ª 27.41 MHz band with 40 voice channels for users on a shared basis.
"After conducting two rounds of public consultation in May and December 2005 respectively and studying the submissions received, the Telecommunications Authority (TA) issued a statement today to announce the decision to open the citizens' band for public use under the class licence regime," a spokesperson for OFTA said.
"Anyone meeting the terms and conditions of the Class Licence may operate CB radios without the need for individual licence application or approval. They are not required to register with the TA and no licence fee is payable.
"Due to the propagation characteristics of 27 MHz radio waves, a handheld CB radio could provide good coverage for use in country parks and rural areas.
"The TA promotes that Channel 9 of the band should be exclusively used for emergency communications and relevant users are encouraged to listen to Channel 9 from time to time so as to help each other in case of need, and to notify relevant rescue agencies whenever necessary. Channel 9 of CB radios and of 409 MHz radios will be useful as an additional channel for the users to summon help during emergency situations. OFTA will raise public awareness through public education," the spokesperson said.
OFTA first opened the frequency bands of 409.74 ¡ª 410 MHz for public use in 2003. The short-range walkie-talkies operating within the frequency bands have already become a popular radio means used by the public in daily communications. OFTA has all along been promoting the proper use of Channel 9 in the 409 MHz radio. In line with the practice adopted overseas, the monitoring of Channel 9 will be done by users only and on a voluntary basis.
Leaflets to provide guidelines on the use of CB radios will be published by OFTA for public reference.
"Users should be aware that CB radios are prohibited from transmitting from indoor locations under the Class Licence. This is to avoid possible interference with the reception of Cable TV signals," the spokesperson explained.
All CB radios licensed under the Class Licence should be type-approved by OFTA. Suppliers and manufacturers are encouraged to fix prescribed labels to their CB radios which have passed the evaluation by OFTA. Users of CB radios are advised to choose a CB radio with this label to ensure that the radio meets the technical specifications prescribed by OFTA. A list showing the CB radios which have been type-approved by OFTA will be available on OFTA's website (www.ofta.gov.hk). The TA Statement on the opening of CB radio for public use, can also be downloaded from OFTA's website.
"We shall continue our close monitoring of the demands of the society so as to consider the feasibility of opening more radio bands for public use in the future," the spokesperson added.
Ends/Friday, January 20, 2006
Issued at HKT 17:58
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