# The licence costs £50. Ofcom uses 60 days as a processing benchmark.

Ofcom says it issues over 750 Innovation and Trial licences a year. Its document publishes two processing markers: around 70% of applications are processed within 42 days, and around 96% within 60 days. These are not an average and are not a guarantee for the next application.

## The short answer

- **£50** is the listed price for two different products: Innovation & Research costs £50 per year for a single location, while Demonstration & Trial costs £50 per location per month.
- **60 days** is a processing benchmark, not a universal cap. Around 70% of applications were processed within 42 days and around 96% within 60; some cases exceed that interval. Ofcom links duration to the size and complexity of the proposal, negotiation and time taken to pay.
- **Over 750** is the annual Innovation and Trial licence volume Ofcom mentions. It is not the denominator for the timing percentages.
- **30 September 2026** is the closing date for the Call for Input published on 16 July 2026.

## The repeat-user question

Ofcom says universities, manufacturers and test houses may carry out multiple trials at the same location. In the current regime it describes, the user applies for a new licence for each trial or reapplies every twelve months.

The document asks whether licences could last longer or whether renewal could avoid the full process. That is a consultation question, not a decision.

## The envelope design test

A pre-coordinated site envelope could, in a future model, check a repeat use inside a defined boundary. In this page, the envelope is a design test, not a current Ofcom licence or an approved mechanism.

What could be reduced in the hypothesis: repeated coordination for an eligible use.

What stays visible: licences are temporary and operate on a **non-interference, no-protection** basis, and Ofcom can require operations to be modified or ceased if interference occurs.

## Four boundaries

1. £50 is not one universal fee because the products have different billing periods.
2. 42 and 60 are separate percentage markers. The cited passage does not publish the denominator or exact processing-start definition.
3. The Call for Input is not a rule change. Ofcom says it is gathering views and is not proposing specific regulatory changes or detailed proposals yet.
4. The envelope does not say which band, power, coordinates or site would be accepted.

## Sources

- [Ofcom’s official Call for Input page](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/spectrum/innovative-use-of-spectrum/strengthening-the-uks-radio-spectrum-regulatory-framework-for-innovation), published 16 July 2026, closing 30 September 2026.
- [Ofcom’s PDF document](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/consultations/category-1-10-weeks/cfi-spectrum-drone-innovation/main-docs/strengthening-the-uks-radio-spectrum-regulatory-framework-for-innovation-cfi-document.pdf?v=422643), especially §§1.3, 2.11, 3.1–3.5, 3.11–3.12 and 4.14–4.17.
- [Ofcom’s KPI indicators](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/annual-reports-and-plans/ofcom-kpis), 2025/26 Category C table: 96% within 42 days and 99% within 60 days against a 100% within-60-day target.

The sources are archived locally in `sources/archive/`, with SHA-256 hashes in `sources/source-hashes.json`.