ComReg, the communications regulator in Eire, is consulting on the Draft Radio Spectrum Strategy for 2016 to 2018

Amateur radio in mentioned several times in the consultation document including:

3.27 Licences for business radio, aircraft radio and radio amateurs are the next most voluminous licence type. As of 30 June 2015, there were 4,179 live licences for these services, representing circa 24% of all live licences. While the number of radio amateur and aircraft radio licences has remained relatively constant over the few years, the number of business radio licences has declined significantly from 2,682 licences in 2009 to 1,051 licences in 2015 (a 61% decrease over this 6 year period).
6.2 ComReg has identified the following work plan items for radio amateur services for the period 2016 to 2018:
- i. Consider a possible new allocation to the amateur service on a secondary basis in the band 5 351.5-5 366.5 kHz in line with the outcome of agenda item 1.4 of WRC15; and
- ii. Consider additional spectrum allocations to the amateur services in the bands 30 – 49 MHz and 52 – 70.5 MHz to facilitate propagation beacons, digital amateur television repeaters and to align current allocations with those in the European Common Allocation Table.

The consultation closes on Monday 18th January 2016.