Electronic Communications Act, 2005 (Act No. 36 of 2005)

ICASA

Notice regarding Final Radio Frequency Assignment Plans for the Frequency Band 440 to 450 MHz in terms of Regulation 3 of the Radio Frequency Spectrum Regulations, 2015

4. Channelling Plan
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4.1 The frequency band 440 - 450 MHz will be assigned according to Figure 1.

 

N3767 Figure 1

 

More details follow.

 

4.2 Channelling arrangements for analogue and digital land mobile systems with channel spacing of up to 25 kHz, of 50 kHz, 100 kHz, or 150 kHz, as guided by T/R 25-08 9, is recommended to follow the following approach.

 

The channel centre frequencies (hereinafter called centre frequencies) use the following preferred formula. This preferred formula should be used whenever possible, but at least in new and re-farmed bands:

 

FCH = Band Edge – (Channel Spacing/2) + n × Channel Spacing,

 

Where:

 

FCH = channel centre frequency

n = 1, 2, 3,… - channel number;

 

Band Edge is the lower edge of allocated frequency band, i.e., 440 MHz.

 

For systems using a channel spacing of 200 kHz the centre frequencies should be selected according to the preferred formula with an option to offset these centre frequencies by 100 kHz.

 

4.2.1 Duplex or two-frequency simplex channel separation, location of sub-bands and guard bands 10
4.2.2 A sub-band can be simplex or duplex. The lower and upper part of a duplex sub-band should be in the same allocated band.
4.2.3 The frequencies of emissions of base or repeater stations should be placed in the upper band and those of mobile stations in the lower band. The same positions of upper and lower bands should be selected for bordering/adjacent countries.
4.2.4 The channel centre frequency of a digital land mobile system using a channel spacing greater than 25 kHz may be selected in a way that the channel pertaining to the centre frequency with its nominal channel spacing falls entirely into a sub-band and does not overlap the guard band necessary around the edges of simplex sub-bands and the edges of the lower parts and upper parts of duplex sub-bands.
4.2.5 For Analogue and Digital Public Mobile Radio (PMR) in the band 446- 446.2 MHz, the requirements are listed in Government Gazette No 45690 dated 24 December 2021 (replacing the channelisation scheme provided in Government Gazette 38641 dated 30 March 2015 which was compliant to 34.4) and refer to ETSI EN 303 405 11 and CEPT/ERC/REC 70-03 12.
4.2.6 The sub-band 440 - 441 MHz, follows Figure 3 above instead: For low-power wide area networks (LPWAN) using the band 440 – 441 MHz, Government Gazette No 42230 13 provides the following channel arrangements:

 

1. The 440 MHz to 441 MHz frequency band is split into a total of five 125 kHz bandwidth channels.

 

2. These channels have a guard-band between them and are spaced 200 kHz apart as shown in Figure 2 and Table 3.

 

N3767 Figure 2 Table 3

 

3. The frequency band 440 – 441 MHz provides a total bandwidth of 1 MHz for burglar alarms and related security telemetry services.

 

4.2.7 For PMR446 associated with the band 446.0 – 446.2 MHz, the guidance on channelisation is provided in ETSI EN 303 405 6 and ECC/DEC/ (15)05 14.

 

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9 Recommendation T/R 25-08, Planning criteria and cross-border coordination of frequencies for land mobile systems in the range 29.7-470 MHz, Approved 15 January 1990. Amended 28 September 2018. (https://docdb.cept.org/document/909, https://docdb.cept.org/download/2544)

 

10 ECC Recommendation T/R 25-08, Planning criteria and coordination of frequencies for land mobile systems in the range 29.7-470 MHz. http://spectrum.welter.fr/international/cept/erc-recommendations/erc-recommendation-25-08-public-land-mobile-29-MHz-470-MHz.pdf

 

11 ETSI EN 303 405 V1.1.1 (2017-05) Land Mobile Service; Analogue and Digital PMR446 Equipment; Harmonised Standard covering the essential requirements of article 3.2 of Directive 2014/53/EU. (https://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_en/303400_303499/303405/01.01.01_60/en_303405v010101p.pdf)

 

12 ERC Recommendation 70-03, Relating to the use of Short Range Devices (SRD), Tromsø 1997, Subsequent amendments 12 February 2021 (https://docdb.cept.org/download/25c41779- cd6e/Rec7003e.pdf).

 

13 Radio Frequency Spectrum Assignment Plan: Rules for Services operating in the Frequency Band 440 to 441 MHz, Government Gazette No 42230, 15 February 2019, pages 212 - 222. (https://archive.opengazettes.org.za/archive/ZA/2019/government-gazette-ZA-vol-644-no-42230-dated- 2019-02-15.pdf )

 

14 ECC Decision (15)05, The harmonised frequency range 446.0-446.2 MHz, technical characteristics, exemption from individual licensing and free carriage and use of analogue and digital PMR 446 applications. Approved 3 July 2015. Amended 2 March 2018. (https://docdb.cept.org/download/1491)