The electromagnetic frequency spectrum is a limited natural resource of every country. Given the immense importance of this resource to development and progress, there occur from time to time, competing and sometimes conflicting demands for the same portion of the spectrum.

As such, regulation in the term of spectrum management is necessary to ensure that this resource is managed and utilised most efficiently and effectively for the country's benefit.

One visual aspect of spectrum management is the employment of licensing to assign and manage spectrum usage.

"Licensing is the process of conferring the legal authority to operate a radio station under specific and stipulated conditions. To this end the ITU Radio Regulations state, in No. 2020, that no transmitter station may be established without a licence issued by the government of the administration to which the station belongs. In some administrations the right to use a radio receiving installation is also subject to licensing". (Handbook National Spectrum Management- Radiocommunication Bureau Geneva, 1995 )

Section 23(1) of the Telecommunications Act part VI states that "Except as provided in subsection (10) and sections 24 and 37, no
person shall operate a public telecommunications network or provide a public
telecommunications service without an individual licence granted by the Minister......"

The Telecommunications Agency has the responsibility of receiving and processing applications for licences. Application forms for various services can be uplifted from the Unit's office at 190 Charlotte Street, Bourda, Georgetown, Guyana, or downloaded from this website. Completed application forms are to be submitted to our office in hard copy for processing.

In granting a licence, several factors have to be considered. Some of these are:

• Agreements with other countries
• Provisions of existing licences
• The public interest and the extraction of maximum benefits from the radio spectrum
• Electromagnetic compatibility of apparatus
• Government policies.

The various types of licences are as follows:

• Individual Licence
• Class Licence
• Special Licence

To view acts and regulations concerning licensing, click on Acts and Regulations

To apply for a licence or frequency authorisation or apply for an exemption, click on Application Forms