SPECTRUM MANAGEMENT FOR A CONVERGING WORLD: CASE STUDY ON AUSTRALIA International Telecommunication Union Spectrum Management for a Converging World: Case Study on Australia This case study has been prepared by Fabio Leite <[email protected]>, Counsellor, Radiocommunication Bureau, ITU as part of a Workshop on Radio Spectrum Management for a Converging World jointly produced under the New Initiatives programme of the Office of the Secretary General and the Radiocommunication Bureau. The workshop manager is Eric Lie <[email protected]>, and the series is organized under the overall responsibility of Tim Kelly <[email protected]>, Head, ITU Strategy and Policy Unit (SPU). Other case studies on spectrum management in the United Kingdom and Guatemala can be found at: http://www.itu.int/osg/sec/spu/ni/fmi/case_studies/. This report has benefited from the input and comments of many people to whom the author owes his sincere thanks. In particular, I would like to thank Colin Langtry, my Australian colleague in the Radiocommunication Bureau, for his invaluable comments and explanations, as well as for his placid tolerance of my modestly evolving knowledge of his country. I would also like to express my gratitude to all officials and representatives whom I visited in Australia and who assisted me in preparing this case study, particularly to those of the Australian Communications Authority for their availability in providing support, explanations, comments, and documentation, which made up this report. Above all, I am grateful to those who were kind enough to accept this report as a succinct but fair description of the spectrum management framework in Australia. The views expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ITU or its membership. 2 Spectrum Management for a Converging World: Case Study on Australia Contents 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 7 2 Australia facts and indicators .................................................................................................................... 7 2.1 Geography ......................................................................................................................................... 7 2.2 History, politics and economy........................................................................................................... 9 2.3 Communications industry profile .................................................................................................... 11 2.3.1 Wireless broadband ................................................................................................................. 13 3 The communications environment in Australia....................................................................................... 14 3.1 Evolution of the telecommunication sector ..................................................................................... 14 3.1.1 Monopoly history: 1901-1975................................................................................................. 15 3.1.2 Beginnings of competition.......................................................................................................15 3.1.3 Separation of policy, regulatory and operational roles............................................................ 15 3.1.4 The telecommunication carrier duopoly: 1990-97 .................................................................. 16 3.1.5 Open competition: 1 July 1997................................................................................................ 16 3.1.6 Regulation, self-regulation and institutional arrangements ..................................................... 17 3.1.7 Industry trends......................................................................................................................... 18 3.2 Radiocommunications ..................................................................................................................... 18 3.2.1 Radiocommunications Act 1983 .............................................................................................. 19 3.2.2 Radiocommunications Act 1992 .............................................................................................. 20 3.3 The Australian Communications Authority (ACA) ........................................................................ 22 3.4 The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)................................................. 23 3.4.1 ACCC’s role in the spectrum allocation process..................................................................... 24 3.5 Broadcasting.................................................................................................................................... 24 3.5.1 The Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA)....................................................................... 26 3.5.2 Licensing ................................................................................................................................. 27 3.5.3 Access to non-broadcasting spectrum ..................................................................................... 28 3.5.4 Digital broadcasting................................................................................................................. 28 4 Radiofrequency spectrum management................................................................................................... 31 4.1 Objectives and approaches of regulations ....................................................................................... 31 4.2 Spectrum planning........................................................................................................................... 31 4.2.1 Spectrum strategy .................................................................................................................... 32 4.3 Licensing regime ............................................................................................................................. 33 4.3.1 Radiocommunication Licences................................................................................................ 35 4.3.2 Spectrum pricing...................................................................................................................... 44 4.3.3 Auctions................................................................................................................................... 45 4.3.4 Spectrum trading...................................................................................................................... 48 3 Spectrum Management for a Converging World: Case Study on Australia 4.4 Standards compliance arrangements ...............................................................................................50 4.4.1 Radiocommunication equipment regulatory arrangements ..................................................... 51 4.4.2 Electromagnetic compatibility regulatory arrangements......................................................... 52 4.4.3 Electromagnetic radiation regulatory arrangements................................................................ 52 5 Spectrum uses and applications............................................................................................................... 55 5.1 Licensing of the 2 GHz band (3G/IMT-2000)................................................................................. 55 5.2 Licensing of the 3.4 GHz band (wireless access systems) .............................................................. 58 5.3 Satellite............................................................................................................................................ 60 5.4 Television Outside Broadcast services............................................................................................ 63 5.5 Non-commercial users of spectrum................................................................................................. 64 5.5.1 Defence.................................................................................................................................... 65 5.5.2 Emergency services ................................................................................................................. 66 5.5.3 Meteorology ............................................................................................................................ 67 5.5.4 Science services....................................................................................................................... 68 5.6 New technologies ............................................................................................................................ 69 5.6.1 Short range spread spectrum devices....................................................................................... 69 5.6.2 Wireless local area networks (WLANs).................................................................................. 70 5.6.3 Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology........................................................................................ 70 6 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................................. 71 REFERENCES................................................................................................................................................ 73 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS.......................................................................................................