The AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY makes this Instrument under subsection 145(4) and section 262 of the Radiocommunications Act 1992.  

Dated      28 August 2015

Richard Bean
[signed]
Member

James Cameron
[signed]
Member/General Manager

Part 1 Preliminary

1 Name of Instrument

  This Instrument is the Radiocommunications (Advisory Guidelines and Unacceptable Levels of Interference – 1800 MHz Band) Omnibus Variation Instrument 2015.

2 Commencement

  This Instrument commences on the day after it is registered.

  Note All legislative instruments and compilations are registered on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments (FRLI) kept under the Legislative Instruments Act 2003. See http://www.comlaw.gov.au.

Part 2 Variations

3 Variations to the Radiocommunications Advisory Guidelines (Additional Device Boundary Criteria – 1800 MHz Lower Band) 2012

Schedule 1 varies the Radiocommunications Advisory Guidelines (Additional Device Boundary Criteria – 1800 MHz Lower Band) 2012 [F2012L02046].

4 Variations to the Radiocommunications Advisory Guidelines (Managing Interference to Spectrum Licensed Receivers – 1800 MHz Band) 2012

Schedule 2 varies the Radiocommunications Advisory Guidelines (Managing Interference to Spectrum Licensed Receivers – 1800 MHz Band) 2012 [F2012L02047].

5  Variations to the Radiocommunications Advisory Guidelines (Managing Interference from Spectrum Licensed Transmitters – 1800 MHz Band) 2012

  Schedule 3 varies the Radiocommunications Advisory Guidelines (Managing Interference from Spectrum Licensed Transmitters – 1800 MHz Band) 2012 [F2012L02048].

6  Variations to the Radiocommunications (Unacceptable Levels of Interference – 1800 MHz Band) Determination 2012

  Schedule 4 varies the Radiocommunications (Unacceptable Levels of Interference – 1800 MHz Band) Determination 2012 [F2012L02045].

Schedule 1 Variations to the Radiocommunications Advisory Guidelines (Additional Device Boundary Criteria – 1800 MHz Lower Band) 2012

(section 3)

1                             Part 4

Omit the Part, substitute:

Part 4 Managing interference outside areas of high mobile use

(1) Outside areas of high mobile use, radiocommunications transmitters may be sited at any height in both the 1800 MHz Upper band and the 1800 MHz Lower band.  Since the technical framework is designed to support FDD mobile services, interference from high sited transmitters deployed in the 1800 MHz Upper band is naturally catered for.

Out-of-band interference

(2) To manage out-of-band interference in the 1800 MHz Lower band:

(a) high sited radiocommunications transmitters must not operate within 10 MHz (measured from the lower or upper limit of the occupied bandwidth) of a frequency adjacent spectrum licence operating in the same area; and

(b) registered receivers are only offered protection if they adhere to the minimum level of receiver performance defined in Schedule 1 to the Radiocommunications Advisory Guidelines (Managing Interference to Spectrum Licensed Receivers – 1800 MHz Band) 2012.

(3) Spectrum licensees are expected to reduce their out-of-band emissions, at their own expense, if it would facilitate compatibility between services operating under frequency adjacent licences.  This is irrespective of which services were licensed or registered first-in-time. Spectrum licensees are not expected to reduce their out-of-band emissions below the level defined in Schedule 3 to the Radiocommunications Advisory Guidelines (Managing Interference to Spectrum Licensed Receivers – 1800 MHz Band) 2012.  In the event reducing out-of-band emissions would not facilitate compatibility between services, the device registered first-in-time has priority.

In-band interference

(4) To manage in-band interference in the 1800 MHz Lower band, registered transmitters operating in adjacent-area spectrum licences must adhere to the relevant device boundary criterion as specified in the section 145 Determination and Schedule 1 of these guidelines.

Schedule 2 Variations to the Radiocommunications Advisory Guidelines (Managing Interference to Spectrum Licensed Receivers – 1800 MHz Band) 2012

(section 4)

1                             After subsection 4(2)

Insert:

(3) These guidelines do not prevent a licensee negotiating and implementing other protection requirements with affected licensees.

2                             Subsection 5(2)

In Note 1 to the subsection, in the list of terms, before the term ‘- centre frequency’ insert:

-          areas of high mobile use

3                             Part 4

Omit the Part, substitute:

Part 4 Compatibility requirement

4.1 Compatibility

(1) The licensee of a fixed transmitter operating under an apparatus licence or a spectrum licence must ensure that the transmitter meets the compatibility requirements in Schedule 2, in relation to a fixed receiver, if the receiver:

(a) has the notional level of performance set out in Schedule 1;

(b) was registered in the Register before:

(i) the transmitter is registered (if the transmitter is operated under a spectrum licence); or

(ii) the date of issue of the apparatus licence under which the transmitter operates; and

(c) operates under a spectrum licence:

(i) in the 1800 MHz Lower band; or

(ii) in the 1800 MHz Upper band with an effective antenna height for each increment 1, he1(n) less than, or equal to 10 metres; or

(iii) in the 1800 MHz Upper band with an effective antenna height for each increment 1, he1(n) greater than 10 metres and does not operate within 10 MHz (measured from the lower or upper limit of the occupied bandwidth of the received signal) of a frequency adjacent spectrum licence operating in the same area and is not located within an area of high mobile use.

Note:  Receivers operated in the 1800 MHz Upper Band are not afforded protection from devices exempt from registration. It is the responsibility of the operator of the receiver to manage this through negotiation and mechanisms such as implementing guard bands and appropriate site selection.  

(2) The licensees of radiocommunications transmitters operating under a spectrum licence are expected to reduce their out-of-band emissions down to the levels defined in Schedule 3 if it would facilitate compatibility with registered receivers operating under a frequency adjacent spectrum licence.  This is irrespective of which device was registered first-in-time.  Licensees are responsible for bearing the costs of changes to their own system.  In the event reducing out-of-band emissions would not facilitate compatibility between services, the device registered first-in-time has priority.

Note:  This requirement reflects the fact that strict out-of-band core condition limits at the frequency boundaries between spectrum licences have not been imposed.  This was done to avoid any unnecessary costs and burden on licensees to implement arrangements that are only required to enable compatibility in specific situations.  Consequently, it is only expected that 1800 MHz band spectrum licensees reduce out-of-band emissions when required to facilitate compatibility with other services.

(3) For subparagraphs (1)(c) (ii) and (iii), the effective antenna height (he1(n)) for a radiocommunications receiver is calculated in accordance with Schedule 3 of the section 145 Determination as if the receiver were a transmitter.

Note: The 10 metre effective antenna height limit for the 1800 MHz Upper band is chosen to be consistent with common deployment practice.

(4) A radiocommunications transmitter operating under a class licence must comply with the conditions of the class licence.

4                             After Schedule 2

Insert:

Schedule 3 Additional Out-of-band Emission Limit

  (subsection 4.1(2))

The additional out-of-band emission limit is the emission limit derived from the combination of the following:

(1) the existing non-spurious emission limits defined in Licence Schedule 2 of an 1800 MHz band spectrum licence; and

(2) the additional RF filtering (between the antenna and the antenna connector of the transmitter) equal to:

(a) 2+60 log[1+(2×FreqOffset/10)1.8] dB for FreqOffset ≤ 20.5 MHz; and

(b) 70 dB for FreqOffset > 20.5 MHz;

where “FreqOffset” is the smallest frequency difference between either the upper or lower limits of the frequency band of the spectrum licence under which the transmitter operates and any frequency outside the frequency band.

Schedule 3 Variations to the Radiocommunications Advisory Guidelines (Managing Interference from Spectrum Licensed Transmitters – 1800 MHz Band) 2012

(section 5)

1                             Part 2, section 2.2

Omit the section, substitute:

2.2  Point-to-point receiver categories

  For the purpose of these guidelines on managing interference caused by radiocommunications transmitters operating under spectrum licences, radiocommunications receivers of a fixed service operating in the 1800 MHz band are taken to belong to one of the following categories:

(a) Category (1) - a receiver operating under an apparatus licence that was issued before 18 June 2013; or

(b) Category (2) - a receiver operating outside the spectrum space of an 1800 MHz band spectrum licence, under an apparatus licence that was issued on or after 18 June 2013; or

(c) Category (3) – an apparatus licensed receiver operating inside the spectrum space of an 1800 MHz band spectrum licence under the same parameters as a fixed service included in table 1 at Schedule 6 of the Radiocommunications Spectrum Marketing Plan (1800 MHz Band) 2015;

where spectrum space of an 1800 MHz band spectrum licence means the combination of:

(d) the part or parts of the spectrum in the 1800 MHz band in which operation of radiocommunications devices is authorised; and

(e) the area within which operation of radiocommunications devices is authorised;

under a spectrum licence.

2                             Part 2, subsection 2.3(2)

Omit the subsection, substitute:

(2) For the categories of fixed service radiocommunications receivers listed in section 2.2:

(a) Category (1) receivers are to be provided with out-of-band and in-band protection from interference according to RALI FX 3; and

(b) Category (2) receivers:

(i) are to be provided with out-of-band protection from interference according to RALI FX 3 caused by frequency adjacent radiocommunications transmitters operated under a spectrum licence that were registered in the Register after the date of issue of the apparatus licence under which the receiver operates; and

  (ii) are required to accept levels of in-band emissions from a radiocommunications transmitter operated under a spectrum licence, if the radiocommunications transmitter is operated in accordance with the conditions of the spectrum licence it operates under and the section 145 Determination; and

(c) Category (3) receivers are to be provided with out-of-band and in-band protection from interference according to RALI FX 3.

Schedule 4 Variations to the Radiocommunications (Unacceptable Levels of Interference – 1800 MHz Band) Determination 2012

(section 6)

1                             Section 9

Omit the section, substitute:

9 Unacceptable level of interference

  A level of interference caused by a radiocommunications transmitter operated under a spectrum licence issued for the 1800 MHz band is unacceptable if:

(a) the operation of the transmitter in the 1800 MHz band results in a breach of a core condition of the licence relating to the maximum permitted level of radio emission from the transmitter:

(i) outside the parts of the spectrum the use of which is authorised under the licence; or

  (ii) outside the geographic area of the licence; or

 (b) any part of the device boundary of the transmitter lies outside of the geographic area of the licence; or

 (c) the device boundary of the transmitter cannot be calculated in accordance with Part 1 of Schedule 2; or

 (d) the transmitter:

(i)                 operates in the 1800 MHz Lower band;

(ii)               has an antenna with an effective antenna height for any radial n, he1(n) greater than 10 metres; and

(iii)             operates within an area of high mobile use specified in Schedule 4; or

 (e) the transmitter:

(i)                 operates in the 1800 MHz Lower band;

(ii)               has an antenna with an effective antenna height for any radial n, he1(n) greater than 10 metres; and

(iii)             has an occupied bandwidth with lower or upper frequency limits that is less than 10 MHz from a frequency adjacent spectrum licence in the same area; or

 (f) any part of the additional device boundary of the transmitter lies outside of the geographic area of the licence and the transmitter:

(i)                  operates in the 1800 MHz Lower band;

(ii)              has an antenna with an effective antenna height for any radial n, he1(n) greater than 10 metres; and

(iii)            operates outside an area of high mobile use specified in Schedule 4; or

 (g) the transmitter is a mobile transmitter that operates in the 1800 MHz band with a horizontally radiated power greater than 39 dBm EIRP within the occupied bandwidth of the transmitter; or

 (h) the transmitter is a fixed transmitter that operates in the frequency band 1877.5 MHz – 1880 MHz with a horizontally radiated power greater than 50 dBm per 30 kHz.

Note 1 Emission levels in the frequency band 1877.5 MHz – 1880 MHz are limited to manage unacceptable interference to cordless communications devices in the 1880 – 1900 MHz bands.

Note 2 Subsection 66 (1) of the Act provides that a spectrum licence must include core conditions specifying the maximum permitted level of radio emissions that may be caused by the operation of radiocommunications devices under the licence (see paragraphs 66 (1) (b) and (d) of the Act).

2                             Schedule 4

Omit the Schedule, substitute:

Schedule 4 Areas of high mobile use

(subsection 5(1))

Description of Area

(1) Areas of high mobile use are the areas of land described in Column 1 of the tables below.

(2) An area of high mobile use can be determined by the aggregation of block areas referenced by HCIS identifiers used to describe it which are specified in the corresponding Column 2 of the tables below.  Refer to the ASMG for a complete description of the naming convention referred to as the HCIS.