Non-US services

Licence-free radio abroad

None of these are FRS or GMRS as an American operator knows them, and none of the US rules carry over. Organised nets barely exist on licence-free channels anywhere — the one real exception is Australia's UHF CB repeater ecosystem.

PMR446

Official regulator

Band: 446.0 – 446.2 MHz UHF
Channels: 16 analogue + digital (dPMR / DMR Tier 1)
Power limit: 0.5 W ERP maximum
Repeaters: Not allowed — simplex hand-helds only
Where it applies: Europe and the UK, plus Malaysia, Singapore, Norway and the UAE
Calling conventions: Channel 1 (446.00625 MHz) is the de facto calling channel; some countries use Channel 8 with 88.5 Hz CTCSS. DMR calling sits on Channel 9 (446.10625 MHz, CC1 TG99).

No scheduled nets. Activity is informal, local and simplex.

Originally 8 analogue FM channels at 12.5 kHz spacing under ERC Decision (98)25. ECC Decision (15)05 doubled that to 16 from January 2016 by opening 446.1–446.2 MHz to analogue.
Digital channels (dPMR / DMR Tier 1) were added across 446.0–446.1 MHz from January 2018.
Hand-portable only. Base stations, mobiles, repeaters and fixed infrastructure are prohibited. Removable antennas have been permitted since 2018 provided ERP stays at or below 0.5 W.
Switzerland and Liechtenstein (BAKOM) state plainly that PMR446 relays, gateways and fixed stations are not authorised.
Italy has been licence- and fee-free since 2020 (secondary sourcing — treat as unconfirmed).
Malaysia adopted PMR446 as its sole licence-free personal radio service under MCMC Class Assignment No. 2 of 2025, effective 24 June 2025, retiring the old 477 MHz service.

Country differences

United KingdomOfficial regulator

Ofcom IR 2030 / Wireless Telegraphy (Exemption) Regulations

Channels: 16 analogue FM, 446.00625 – 446.19375 MHz at 12.5 kHz
Power: 0.5 W ERP
Repeaters: Prohibited — hand-portable only, no base or fixed stations

Ofcom's February 2018 analogue/digital PMR446 information sheet is the plain-English reference. That 2018 change dropped the old integral-antenna-only requirement, so detachable antennas are permitted provided output stays within 0.5 W ERP, and it opened digital dPMR and DMR Tier 1 use on the same band.

CEPT / EU (general)Official regulator

ECC Decision (15)05, amended 2018 (replaces ERC Decision (98)25)

Channels: 16 analogue at 12.5 kHz across 446.0 – 446.2 MHz; digital in 446.0 – 446.1 MHz (16 × 6.25 kHz or 8 × 12.5 kHz)
Power: 0.5 W ERP
Repeaters: Prohibited

National implementation dates differ, so a radio legal in one CEPT country can pre-date another's adoption of the upper 8 analogue channels.

Switzerland & LiechtensteinOfficial regulator

BAKOM licence-exempt conditions

Channels: 446.000 – 446.200 MHz
Power: 0.5 W
Repeaters: Explicitly prohibited, including relays, gateways and fixed stations

BAKOM names gateways specifically — internet-linked PMR446 nodes are not authorised.

ItalyCommunity reported

National licence-exemption (2020)

Channels: As CEPT
Power: 0.5 W ERP
Repeaters: Prohibited

Reported licence- and fee-free since 2020 via secondary sources — treat as unconfirmed.

MalaysiaOfficial regulator

MCMC Class Assignment No. 2 of 2025 (effective 24 June 2025)

Channels: 446.0 – 446.2 MHz, CEPT channel plan
Power: 0.5 W ERP
Repeaters: Prohibited

PMR446 replaced the 477 MHz personal service outright; 477 MHz radios are no longer licence-free. Equipment still needs MCMC certification.

Ofcom — licence-exempt radio use

The UK requirements: 0.5 W ERP, 12.5 kHz, hand-held, 446.00625–446.19375 MHz.

ofcom.org.uk

CEPT / ECC Decisions

ECC Decision (15)05 and the earlier ERC Decision (98)25 that define the PMR446 channel plan.

cept.org

BAKOM (Switzerland)

Swiss conditions: 446.000–446.200 MHz, 0.5 W, no relays, gateways or fixed stations.

bakom.admin.ch

Ofcom — analogue and digital PMR446 information sheet

The UK's per-channel breakdown, base-station prohibition and digital PMR446 guidance (2018).

ofcom.org.uk

MCMC — class assignments (Malaysia)

Class Assignment No. 2 of 2025, effective 24 June 2025, which made PMR446 the licence-free personal service.

mcmc.gov.my

UHF CB / UHF PRS

Official regulator

Band: 476.4250 – 477.4125 MHz UHF
Channels: 80 channels at 12.5 kHz spacing
Power limit: Up to 5 W
Repeaters: Allowed — outputs on 1-8 and 41-48, inputs on 31-38 and 71-78
Where it applies: Australia (ACMA class licence) and New Zealand (RSM GURL 228151)
Calling conventions: Australia: channel 11 calling, channel 40 road/truck convention, channels 5/35 emergency only, 22/23 data only.

No scheduled voice nets, but Australia has real repeater-network infrastructure and volunteer monitoring groups — the only licence-free service on this list that does.

This is the closest international analogue to GMRS: licence-free, useful power, and repeater-capable.
In Australia, operating a repeater station requires an apparatus licence; using one is covered by the class licence.
New Zealand aligns to the same 80-channel plan but has no legislated emergency channel, so 5 and 35 are ordinary repeater channels there.
Older 40-channel, 25 kHz radios are legacy. Sources citing 77 channels reflect an earlier count that excluded some data and duplicate channels.
Malaysia and Indonesia historically used 477 MHz; Malaysia retired it in favour of PMR446 on 24 June 2025.

Country differences

AustraliaOfficial regulator

ACMA Citizen Band Radio Stations class licence

Channels: 80 channels, 12.5 kHz
Power: 5 W
Repeaters: Allowed — outputs 1-8 and 41-48, inputs 31-38 and 71-78

Channel 11 calling, 40 road/truck, 5 and 35 emergency only, 22 and 23 data only. Running a repeater needs its own apparatus licence.

New ZealandOfficial regulator

RSM General User Radio Licence 228151 (UHF PRS)

Channels: 80 channels, same plan as Australia
Power: 5 W
Repeaters: Allowed

No legislated emergency channel, so 5 and 35 are ordinary repeater channels here.

ACMA — Citizen Band Radio Stations class licence

Australia's governing instrument: channels, power, emergency and data channel rules.

acma.gov.au

RSM — General User Radio Licences

New Zealand's free UHF PRS authorisation (GURL 228151) and equipment approval rules.

rsm.govt.nz

TropiNet repeater directory

Community-maintained Australian UHF CB repeater list. Check the freshness date per entry.

tropinet.com

FRS outside the US

Official regulator

Band: 462 / 467 MHz UHF
Channels: 22 channels
Power limit: 2 W on 1-7 and 15-22; 0.5 W on 8-14
Repeaters: Not allowed
Where it applies: Canada (licence-free, and GMRS is licence-free too) and Mexico (FRS-equivalent authorised)
Calling conventions: No national calling convention; use follows US informal practice.

No organised nets beyond informal local use.

Canada: all 22 FRS channels are licence-free, and GMRS has been licence-free since around 2000 — so combined FRS/GMRS radios are fine there.
Mexico: FRS frequencies and equipment are authorised as free-use, but dual-mode FRS/GMRS radios are not approved.
Some Mexican free-use channels are restricted within 150 km of an international border.

ISED — radio standards specifications

Canada's RSS standards covering licence-exempt hand-held radios.

ised-isde.canada.ca

China PRS409

Community reported

Channel plan is well attested, but we have not located a primary MIIT rule in English. Radios need SRRC type approval before sale or use.

Band: 409.7500 – 409.9875 MHz UHF
Channels: 20 channels at 12.5 kHz spacing
Power limit: 0.5 W ERP
Repeaters: Not allowed
Where it applies: Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau (not Taiwan)
Calling conventions: No published national calling channel.

None documented.

Narrowband FM with maximum 2.5 kHz deviation, licence-free and free of charge.
Prohibited at airports and aboard aircraft.
Type approval (SRRC certification) is mandatory before equipment may be sold or deployed.

MIIT

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology — spectrum rules and notices.

miit.gov.cn

SRRC

State Radio Regulation of China — mandatory radio type approval.

srrc.org.cn

South Korea 448 MHz Personal Radio

Community reported

Unconfirmed. The channel and power figures come from a single hobbyist wiki; we have not found a primary MSIT/RRA source, so treat these specifications as indicative rather than authoritative.

Band: 448.7375 – 448.925 and 449.1375 – 449.2625 MHz
Channels: 25 channels, narrow FM
Power limit: 0.5 W
Repeaters: Not allowed
Where it applies: South Korea only
Calling conventions: No published national calling channel.

None documented.

Used for personal, family and small-business communications.
These frequencies overlap the international 70cm amateur allocation and are strictly domestic to South Korea.
We will upgrade this entry's badge once a primary MSIT, KCC or RRA notice is located.

MSIT

South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT — the regulator for this service.

msit.go.kr