UK Act of Parliament 2006 United Kingdom

Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006

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At a glance

Enforced by

Ofcom

What's here

52 compliance obligations, 7 practical guides across 3 topics

Penalty landscape

13 of 52 obligations carry up to 2 years imprisonment. 20 carry different penalties and 19 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.

Who this Act binds

Business-side actors with duties under this Act, ranked by how often they appear.

  • Any Person 36
  • Occupier 1
  • Director or Officer 1

Plus 14 non-business duties on Crown ministers, regulators, local authorities or tribunals — shown collapsed under each section below.

Relevant guidance

Practical guides for businesses affected by this Act, ordered by how closely they engage with it.

Supporting — topic alignment

6 guides

Mentioned in related content

1 guides

Other Acts binding the same actors

For each actor bound by this Act, the other UK Acts that bind them most often. Useful for understanding the full compliance landscape facing each role.

Any Person also bound by 749 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Occupiers also bound by 101 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Directors and Officers also bound by 224 other Acts (top 5 shown)

What this Act requires

Sections that create concrete duties on businesses or carry penalties. Procedural and definitional sections are folded into the “Browse other sections” expander at the bottom of each group. Click any section title to read the source text on legislation.gov.uk.

Part 1 — General provision about radio spectrum

Browse 4 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 2 — Regulation of radio spectrum

s.008

Review of long licences

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Ofcom must review long-term non-transferable wireless licences Statutory regulator
s.008

Consultation before grant of exclusive licence

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Ofcom must consult before granting an exclusive wireless licence Statutory regulator
s.009

Terms, provisions and limitations

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Ofcom must ensure license terms are fair, transparent, and proportionate Statutory regulator
s.011

Surrender of licence

Fine up to £1,000
  • Fail to surrender expired or revoked wireless licence Any Person
s.030

Spectrum trading

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Ofcom may create rules for transferring radio spectrum rights Statutory regulator
s.032

Statistical information

2 years imprisonment
  • Provide statistical information to Ofcom upon request Any Person
s.032

Information required for purposes of radio spectrum functions

  • Provide information to Ofcom regarding radio spectrum use Any Person
s.032

Enforcement of notification under section 32C

  • Comply with Ofcom confirmation decisions and information penalties Any Person
s.034

Statement of policy

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Ofcom must publish and follow its wireless telegraphy information policy Statutory regulator
s.046

Offences

Unlimited fine
  • Breach wireless telegraphy regulations Any Person
s.047

Misleading messages

2 years imprisonment
  • Send false safety‑critical wireless messages Any Person
s.051

Apparatus in vehicles

Fine up to £1,000
  • Give false information on vehicle licence for wireless equipment Any Person
s.053

Surrender of authority

Fine up to £2,000,000
  • Fail to surrender wireless telegraphy authority when required Any Person
Browse 38 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.008

Restriction on grant of exclusive licence

s.009

Notice to satellite uplinkers

s.009

Restrictions on imposition of limitations etc under section 9

s.009

Review of pre-26 May 2011 limitations etc.

s.030

General duty of OFCOM to allow leasing or transfer

s.032

Restrictions on imposing information requirements

s.032

Notification of contravention of information requirements

s.032

Penalties for contravention of information requirements

s.043

Special procedure for contraventions of certain provisions

Part 2A — Regulation of dynamic spectrum access services

s.053

Register of providers of dynamic spectrum access services

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Ofcom must maintain a register of dynamic spectrum access providers Statutory regulator
s.053

Enforcement of notification under section 53E

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Ofcom must issue a confirmation decision following a contravention notice Statutory regulator
s.053

Requirement to provide information about gross revenue

  • Ofcom may require you to provide gross revenue information Any Person
s.053

Enforcement of notification under section 53K

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Ofcom must issue a final decision and reasons regarding contraventions Statutory regulator
Browse 9 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.053

Registration of providers of dynamic spectrum access services

s.053

Revocation and variation of registration

s.053

Fees for registration etc

s.053

Notification of contravention of registration restrictions or conditions

s.053

Penalties under section 53E

s.053

Meaning of “relevant amount of gross revenue”

s.053

Provision of information to persons registered under section 53A

s.053

Notification of contravention of information requirements

s.053

Penalties under section 53K

Part 3 — Regulation of apparatus

s.066

Offences

Unlimited fine
  • Use or possess unauthorised wireless equipment Any Person
Browse 11 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 4 — Approval of apparatus etc

s.074

Offences

Unlimited fine
  • Supply or advertise prohibited wireless apparatus Any Person
Browse 6 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 5 — Prohibition of broadcasting from sea or air

Browse 8 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 6 — General

s.100

Obstruction

Unlimited fine
  • Intentionally obstruct an officer exercising seizure powers Any Person
s.106

Continuing offences

51 weeks imprisonment
  • Continue using unlicensed wireless equipment after conviction Any Person
Browse 19 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Schedules

Browse 8 other Schedules — structural / supplementary
Read the full Act on legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)

Official guidance

Authoritative sources published by regulators or government explaining this legislation.

Enforcement and responsible bodies

The regulators that administer or enforce this legislation.

Ofcom

Office of Communications

Regulates telecoms, TV, radio, video-on-demand, postal services, and online safety. Issues licences for telecoms providers, manages spectrum. Now enforces Online Safety Act …

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Browse legislation

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Regulators

Learn more about the bodies that enforce this legislation.