Today the UK Civil Aviation Authority and Ofcom will make the 978 MHz frequency available for airborne transmission onboard Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) applications.
This change supports beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations and is part of the Future of Flight action plan and the CAA’s Airspace Modernisation Strategy.
More information in the supplementary amendment to CAP1391 document:
supplementary-amendment-cap-1391-01-2025.pdf (140.5 KB)
This was from Ofcom:
Ofcom has today published a joint statement with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on the use of 978 MHz spectrum for safety devices on drones.
These safety devices (Universal Access Transceivers) make other aircraft aware of a drone’s position. They are required for some important applications, for example enabling innovation and efficiency in managing critical infrastructure. With this equipment, drones can, for instance, inspect wind turbines and power lines to see if repairs are needed.
This new authorisation will be incorporated in our existing drone licence from today. Most consumer drones do not need any Ofcom licence as they typically use licence-exempt spectrum. However, most commercial or advanced users, especially those wanting to use drones at long distance, need a licence from Ofcom and likely from the CAA.
The 978 MHz spectrum is used for drones internationally, and in the UK these frequencies have been shared between aeronautical use and low-power radio microphones in programme making and special events (PMSE) since 2016.
From today, we will no longer license 978 MHz spectrum for PMSE users in outdoor settings, but they can continue to use it indoors, and we are expanding the range of other frequencies that are available to PMSE users both indoor and outdoor (including 1015-1016 MHz, 1044-1045 MHz, 1075-1076 MHz and, 1104-1105 MHz). As a result, PMSE users will have more spectrum than before.
With this new arrangement we consider the risk of interference to be negligible and that this is the most efficient and appropriate use of spectrum that enables the use of wireless devices for all parties.
Good, I think. I’m not sure what, if anything, it means for normal (whatever that is) hobby drone flying, but if I’ve read it right and interpreted the jargon right, I can now use a frequency, Kenneth, that is better for flying BVLOS but I still need a license from Ofcom or the CAA to fly in that way, so there is no change so far as I’m concerned and I don’t have to do anything to keep flying legally.
I think.
It means that if you have an Autel Evo or any other make/model drone capable of operating at 900mhz, 2.4ghz, 5.8ghz, it’s no longer illegal to use that lower frequency band on your drone when flying in the UK.
better signal transmission/better range / penetration relative to 2.4 and 5ghz.
Great read. Thanks for the link
Also there is an ADS-B frequency that sometimes gets used (I think (i.e. do not know)) mainly in the US which is the 978mhz frequency band and it allows for the operation of what they call 978UAT ADS-B. It is used for private aircraft (in the USA) that fly up to around 18,000FT from sea level. the main difference seems to be that they (the FAA) provide local weather information on 978mhz too in order to entice private plane users to upgrade to ADS-B.
So… it MAY be possible that the CAA are thinking about using 978Mhz for UAV specific ADS-B in the uk… this would make sense for BVLOS UAV applications because it means that it is specific to UAV operations (not for the transmission of UAV signals [although it may be used I guess]) this would then allow for greater anti collision / deconfliction between BVLOS UAV operations. Also using 978mhz for UAV ADS-B means that the UAV’s won’t be broadcasting on the more traditional (widely used) commercial 1090Mhz band so commercial planes won’t be getting all the noise / fog of UAV traffic that will have little effect on them except for when they are landing or taking off. (I was talking to a commercial (Tui?) pilot a little while ago whilst flying a avata and he said that the most annoyance for him was flying into Lanzarote / Tenerife and having all the NOTAMS listed for all UAV traffic on his flight info as it’s just fog / noise and detracts from his important info that he needs to know as he is flying nowhere near their altitude.
I guess for a hobbyist it means that you could now (legally) buy and use 900mhz transmitter + receiver gear for your controllers (I don’t think it would be used for video as it probably does not have the bandwidth / latency for video transmission, which is why 2.4ghz is used)
Then again… all of the above could just be BS and my head putting 2+2 together and ending up with 8! Just go out and fly and enjoy doing it as a hobby…
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Well 2.4Ghz is never great for distance as it happens to be great at exciting water molecules. That’s why it’s the frequency used for microwave ovens. Mosture in the atmosphere and foliage quite happily absorb it.
Naturally, as you can imagine as there are so many users of 2.4GHz (wifi) routers and other ISM devices, there is a lot more interference too.
So despite UHF frequencies being mainly line-of-sight (if we ignore propagation like meteor showers “lifts” and the like) then the 978Mhz is likely to give much more solid connections.
I must add here, when I say “Line of Sight” it just means a near un-interruped path. I don’t mean “visual line of sight” where you have to spot an object with the naked eye. So somebody on a 100m (330ft) high hill, would have (radio) line of sight of some 22 miles - just to give you an idea.
document from the CAA covering the plan for 978mhz which it seems I was right that it was intended to be used for the ADS-B 978mhz band
CAP 1391 Electronic Conspicuity Devices
issued 2025/03/11
That’s the same document as the one in the first post of this thread, Rob 
OH! 
(I was trawling the CAA for CAP documents… and stumbed across it)… didn’t find what I was looking for though …sorry…
Does it 
reading the doc it’s licenced