You may remember that we reported a few weeks back Ofcom’s decision to close down its Radio Technology and Compatibility Group.

These are the folks that ensure efficient use of spectrum frequency and manage projects with titles that most of us don’t really understand - like - “Shielding effectiveness of optically transparent RF filters in milli-metric frequency bands”.

A full list of work of the RTCG’s work is available here.

Since ensuring efficient (or best) use of the spectrum is one of Ofcom’s core duties you would have thought RTCG is a pretty useful little unit. Afterall, it is these engineers who have made the UK a world leader in the assignment, allocation and use of spectrum.

However Ofcom thinks (apprently with the agreement of all involved) that the UK will get better value by outsourcing the RTCG role, as this advert on Scenta’s website reveals,

“Our client [no clues as to who this client is] is looking for a project manager to run a Long-term Radio Frequency Laboratory Services Contract. You are a Project Manager with a radio communications / RF background and will be required to run the lab providing test, measurement and research services to Ofcom…Scope of the contract is to cover characterisation, compatibility, interference and propagation assessments of radio systems, compliancy tests, spectrum and signal analysis, radio research and theoretical studies.”

I contacted Ofcom to ask about the decision to outsource and they said,

“Ofcom has analysed its future technology R&D needs and believes that in some areas these will be met more effectively by outsourcing to specialist contractors. That obviously has implications for a small number of in-house roles. The intention is to gain access to additional expertise in key areas of emerging technology; and to do so in the most efficient manner possible.”