Spain authorizes nationwide radio frequencies for emergency services

The Spanish government has authorized a set of additional radio frequencies for use by emergency and civil protection services across the entire national territory, including the peninsula, the Balearic and Canary Islands, and the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla. The measure, issued by the Ministry for the Digital Transformation and Public Function, allows the use of Private Mobile Radio (PMR) bands (146‑174 MHz and 380‑425 MHz) without prior authorization from the State Secretariat of Telecommunications, aiming to remove bureaucratic bottlenecks during exceptional situations such as large forest fires.

Minister Óscar López highlighted that increasingly severe climate‑related emergencies require quicker communication capabilities, enabling responders from different autonomous communities to collaborate using the same spectrum wherever they are deployed.

The new regulation applies to walkie‑talkie‑type devices used by firefighters, forest brigades, medical teams and civil protection units, coordinating the spectrum directly under the technical command on the ground.