On the VHF maritime band, Canada has an international obligation to clear legacy analog use out of the channels earmarked for VHF Data Exchange (VDE) so that the digital VDES and AIS services defined in ITU Radio Regulations Appendix 18 can operate. ISED's decision document, SMSE-006-26, published in June 2026, sets out how and when that happens.
What did ISED decide?
SMSE-006-26 is ISED's decision on the policy, technical and licensing framework for the VHF maritime frequency bands. It finalizes the framework that ISED consulted on in SMSE-010-25. The decision aligns Canadian use of the band with ITU Radio Regulations Appendix 18, which is the international channelling arrangement for the VHF maritime mobile band, and which sets a deadline of January 1, 2030 for the relevant analog-to-digital transition.
What has to vacate, and by when?
Maritime operations using analog modulation in the VDE-band channels must vacate those channels by December 31, 2029. ISED has staged the transition so licensees are not caught out:
- Before December 31, 2026 — ISED issues a notice to impacted licensees to request new frequencies.
- December 2027 — a final notice advises any remaining licensees to transition to new frequencies.
- Before December 31, 2029 — licensees who wish to keep operating must have applied for and obtained a licence on the new frequencies. After that date, the affected analog operations in the VDE bands must have ceased.
Is this a licensing change or an equipment change?
It is a spectrum-management and licensing decision, and keeping that boundary clear avoids a common error. SMSE-006-26 changes which frequencies licensees may operate on and when; it does not itself rewrite equipment certification. VHF maritime radios are still certified against RSS-182 (maritime radio equipment operating in the 156–162.5 MHz band, including AIS-SART), and GMDSS equipment against RSS-288. An already-certified radio is not recalled by this decision — but the operations that radio supports have to move off the affected analog channels on the schedule above, and replacement equipment must be VDES/AIS-capable and RSS-182-compliant.
How does this relate to the earlier VDE analog moratorium?
ISED had already flagged the direction of travel in Spectrum Advisory Bulletin SAB-02-25, which announced the vacating of analog maritime use in the VDE bands and a moratorium on accepting new licence applications for analog maritime systems in those bands. SAB-02-25 is the advisory bulletin; SMSE-006-26 is the full framework decision that operationalizes it with dates, technical rules, and a licensing path. Read them together, but cite the decision for the binding milestones.
What should manufacturers and licensees do now?
- Map exposure. Identify any Canadian maritime operations or products tied to the analog VDE-band channels named in the decision.
- Plan the VDES/AIS migration path for affected fleets and product lines, rather than waiting for the December 2026 notice.
- Diary the notice dates. The first ISED notice lands before December 31, 2026; the final notice in December 2027; the hard cutover is December 31, 2029.
- Confirm replacement radios are certified to RSS-182 and support the digital VHF data-exchange the framework is protecting.