Telemetry

A telemetry system is a wireless telegraphy system by which automated measurements are made and other data collected at remote or inaccessible locations, and transmitted to receiving stations for monitoring, recording or remote control purposes. These systems are primarily used by organisations such as utility and industrial companies, where continuous monitoring of operations and control of equipment at multiple locations is necessary to ensure the proper function of processes and equipment. However, this licensing scheme does not cover smart metering applications.

Licences are issued for a maximum period of 10 years and are subject to annual renewal through payment of the relevant annual fee.

Telemetry licences are available under four licensing types:

Regional

• On-site licence
• Local Area licence
• Wide Area licence; and

National

• National Telemetry licence

Guidelines

More information can be found in licensing guidelines document (ComReg Document 24/45) – Licensing of Telemetry Systems Guidelines.

Application Form

Applicants wishing to apply for a Regional Telemetry licence should complete the Telemetry Systems application form (ComReg Document 24/46) and submit it to licensing@comreg.ie.

Fees

The fee structure for the four categories of telemetry licences for the first 12 months of the licence are listed in the table below. ComReg will update the licence fees on the same date annually for Consumer Price Index (“CPI”) and this will apply to all licensees.

The CPI adjustment, is set out in the following formula as follows: = (CPIt/CPIt2024)∗ 100, CPIt Where represents the 12-month Consumer Price Index figures published by the Central Statistics Office, for year t, the year immediately preceding the indexation. CPI2024 represents the 12-month Consumer Price Index figures  published by the Central Statistics Office for 2024. The first indexation shall take place on the 8 July 2026 and shall occur annually thereafter on that same date.

The fees are based on a duplex 12.5 kHz channel (2 × 12.5 kHz). If a 2 × 25 kHz channel is required then two adjacent 12.5 kHz channels may be aggregated. In such cases the fee charged will be as if two separate 12.5 kHz channels were assigned.

National Telemetry Licences

ComReg has issued two National Telemetry licences the details of which are set out below.

Regulations

The regulations governing the issue of Telemetry Systems licences are the Wireless Telegraphy (Telemetry Licence) Regulations 2024  (S.I. 266 of 2024)

Relevant publications:

• ComReg Document 23/118 – https://www.comreg.ie/publication-download/telemetry-systems-the-introduction-of-a-proposed-new-licensing-framework-in-the-vhf-and-uhf-frequency-bands
• ComReg Document 24/25 – https://www.comreg.ie/publication/telemetry-systems-the-introduction-of-a-new-licensing-framework-in-the-vhf-and-uhf-frequency-bands-response-to-consultation-and-decision-with-final-regulations