PoC vs PMR446: 4G radio or license-free walkie-talkie?

What is the difference between PoC and PMR446?

PMR446 is a license-free walkie-talkie service on 446.0–446.2 MHz. Radios talk directly at up to 0.5 W ERP, with no network and no fee. A PoC radio sends your voice as data over a mobile or Wi-Fi network, through a server, to your group. PMR446 covers one site; PoC covers anywhere with signal.123

CEPT, the European body of national regulators, sets the PMR446 rules: hand-held radios, a built-in antenna, no repeaters and no use as part of a network.1 A PoC radio does not use that band, so these limits do not apply. Latvia's spectrum regulator lists CE marking and an EU declaration of conformity among its purchase checks for mobile 3G/4G/5G devices, not a radio permit.4

How do PoC and PMR446 compare at a glance?

Neither is better everywhere. PMR446 wins on running cost, simplicity and independence from any network. PoC wins on distance, location and dispatch tools. The deciding questions are how far apart your people work and whether they always have mobile or Wi-Fi signal.

How far does PMR446 reach compared with PoC?

PMR446 reaches a few hundred meters in town and up to a few kilometers in the countryside, says Latvia's spectrum regulator. A PoC radio reaches as far as the mobile or Wi-Fi signal at each end, so two people in different cities can share a group. For PoC the limit is signal, not distance.234

Sources disagree. A UK retailer guide quotes 1–6 km (0.6–3.7 mi) in built-up areas and up to 5–8 km (3–5 mi) in open terrain, as estimates in optimal conditions.9 An amateur radio club tested on flat land and called 500 m (about 1,600 ft) a good rule of thumb, with a longest data point of about 1 mile (1.6 km).10

Digital sets, including DMR Tier 1, aim for better service out to the range limit, not a longer range.1 CEPT is revising the decision to allow 1 W ERP. That work item was still in progress on 10 October 2026, and the published decision says 0.5 W.11 See the PMR446 guide and the long-range walkie-talkie guide.

Which works without a mobile network?

PMR446 does. The radios talk directly to each other on one channel, with no base station, repeater or operator in between. A PoC radio needs mobile data or Wi-Fi, and with neither there is no call. Hybrid radios with a DMR or analog radio can fall back to direct talk, within radio range.1312

In our database, 41 of the 291 current PoC radios are hybrids.12 Check the analog side: radios above 0.5 W ERP or with a detachable antenna fall outside the PMR446 exemption.1 For licensed digital radios with repeaters, see PoC vs DMR.

What does each cost to run?

PMR446 has no running cost: no license, subscription or SIM. PoC is billed per user. Published plans in October 2026 ran from €4.50 to €25 per user per month excluding VAT, and a data SIM may cost extra. For ten users that is €540 to €3,000 a year.2131415

• PoC Me: Lite is €4.50 per user per month on a one-year term.13
• Instavox: €8 to €25 per user per month, depending on plan and SIM option.14
• Zello Work: Core is $8 per user per month ($6.80 billed annually); Plus is $15 ($12.75 annually).6
• Data SIM: Zello reports 70–100 MB per user per month on average.7 A French retailer says a data-only SIM is enough, at about €2–5 a month.15

Yearly totals are our arithmetic: €4.50 × 10 × 12 = €540; €25 × 10 × 12 = €3,000.

How hard is each to set up?

PMR446 takes minutes: charge the radios, set the same channel on each and press the key. PoC needs more steps: a data SIM in each radio, an account with a PTT service and groups set up by an administrator. The radio must also support your operator's LTE bands.61512

National rules still apply to PMR446: Latvia, for example, bars changing the factory channels.2 For PoC, check band support in the LTE band checker. To pick a type, try the radio type picker.

Which is more private?

Neither is private by default, for different reasons. A PMR446 channel is open: anyone in range on it can listen, and CTCSS “privacy” codes only mute your own receiver. A PoC service can encrypt calls, but the audio passes through a provider's server, so read what each provider states.138

ETSI describes CTCSS as a way to enable or disable a receiver's audio on a specific tone, and does not describe scrambling or encryption.8 The tone controls only the receiver, so it does not stop another radio from listening.

Zello Work states 256-bit AES for audio. Channel messages are encrypted from sender to server and server to recipient, not end to end; 1:1 messages are end to end unless the network enables Message Vault.3 These are vendor statements, not audits.

Which should a team choose?

A team on one site can start with PMR446: within a few hundred meters it needs no signal, SIM or fee. A team spread across towns, regions or countries needs PoC, because PMR446 cannot reach that far. A hybrid radio fits a team with a long route and dead zones.2312

• One site: PMR446 fits when everyone stays within a few hundred meters of each other.
• Spread team: PoC fits delivery, field service or patrols across districts.

The license-free radios guide covers the PMR446 rules.

Questions

Sources

1. ECC/DEC/(15)05: harmonised frequency range 446.0–446.2 MHz, PMR 446 · CEPT ECC
2. PMR446 radios, licensing and range (in Latvian) · Elektroniskie sakari, Latvia
3. Overview of Zello Work · Zello Work Help Center
4. Mobile 3G/4G/5G devices: what to check before buying (in Latvian) · Elektroniskie sakari, Latvia
5. What is the current latency? · Zello Work Help Center
6. Zello Work pricing · Zello
7. How much data bandwidth does the app use? · Zello Work Help Center
8. ETSI TS 103 236 V1.1.1: CTCSS and DCSS technical requirements · ETSI
9. Long range two-way radios guide · Onedirect UK
10. PMR446 coverage experimentation · Avalon Amateur Radio Club