Part 1 – Preliminary

(1) This technical standard is the Telecommunications (Requirements for Customer Equipment with Hierarchical Digital Interfaces – AS/ACIF S016) Technical Standard 2025.

(2) This technical standard may also be cited as AS/ACIF S016-2025.

2 Commencement

This technical standard commences on 30 March 2025.

Note: This technical standard is registered on the Federal Register of Legislation which may be accessed free of charge at www.legislation.gov.au.

3 Authority

This technical standard is made under subsection 376(1) of the Telecommunications Act 1997.

4 Repeal of the Telecommunications Technical Standard (Requirements for Customer Equipment with hierarchical digital interfaces – AS/ACIF S016) 2015

The Telecommunications Technical Standard (Requirements for Customer Equipment with hierarchical digital interfaces – AS/ACIF S016) 2015 [F2015L00181] is repealed.

5 Objects

The objects of this technical standard are to specify requirements that are necessary or convenient for:

(a) protecting the integrity of a telecommunications network or a facility;

(b) protecting the health or safety of persons who:

(i) operate;

(ii) work on;

(iii) use services supplied by means of; or

(iv) are otherwise reasonably likely to be affected by the operation of,

a telecommunications network or a facility;

(d) ensuring, for the purposes of the supply of a standard telephone service, the interoperability of customer equipment with a telecommunications network to which the equipment is, or is proposed to be, connected.

Part 2 – Interpretation

6 Definitions

In this technical standard:

ACMA transition period has the meaning given by section 8.

Act means the Telecommunications Act 1997.

amendment instrument, in relation to the AS/ACIF Standard, means an instrument published by Communications Alliance Ltd that amends the AS/ACIF Standard.

AS/ACIF Standard means the Australian Standard AS/ACIF S016:2001 – Requirements for Customer Equipment for connection to hierarchical digital interfaces, published by the Australian Communications Industry Forum Ltd (now known as Communications Alliance Ltd) in March 2002.

Note: Communications Alliance Ltd’s former name was Australian Communications Industry Forum Ltd. The AS/ACIF Standard is accessible, free of charge, on Communications Alliance Ltd’s website at http://www.commsalliance.com.au.

AS/ACIF transition period, for an amendment or the replacement of the AS/ACIF Standard, has the meaning given by section 9.

date a modified item is made has the meaning given by section 11.

included in a class of items has the meaning given by section 10.

item means a thing that is customer equipment to which this technical standard applies, as provided by section 12, and includes a modified item.

modified item means an item that has been modified, by or on behalf of the manufacturer or importer of the item, after the item was manufactured or imported and, for the avoidance of doubt, is the item as modified.

original item has the meaning given by subsection 10(1).

original modified item has the meaning given by subsection 10(2).

replacement standard, in relation to the AS/ACIF Standard, means a standard published by Communications Alliance Ltd that replaces the AS/ACIF Standard.

Note: A number of expressions used in this instrument have the same meaning as in the Act, including:

customer equipment (see sections 7 and 21)
emergency call service (see section 7)
facility (see section 7 and subsection 374(2))
import (see section 7)
manufacturer or importer of customer equipment or customer cabling (see section 406A)
standard telephone service (see section 7)
telecommunications network (see section 7 and subsection 374(1)).

7 References to other legislative instruments

In this technical standard, unless the contrary intention appears, a reference to any other legislative instrument is a reference to that other legislative instrument as in force from time to time.

Note: For references to Commonwealth Acts, see section 10 of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901; and see also subsection 13(1) of the Legislation Act 2003 for the application of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 to legislative instruments. All Commonwealth Acts and legislative instruments are registered on the Federal Register of Legislation. The Federal Register of Legislation may be accessed free of charge at www.legislation.gov.au.

8 ACMA transition period

In this technical standard, if the AS/ACIF Standard is amended or replaced, there is an ACMA transition period, being:

(a) in a case where there is an AS/ACIF transition period for the amendment or replacement of the AS/ACIF Standard – a period that is the same as the AS/ACIF transition period; or

(b) in any other case – a period of two years commencing on the day the AS/ACIF Standard is amended or replaced.

Note 1: See subsections 14(3) and 15(5) in relation to an ACMA transition period.

Note 2: If the AS/ACIF Standard is amended or replaced during an ACMA transition period, there is another ACMA transition period which overlaps with the first-mentioned transition period. See subsections 14(4) and 15(6) in relation to overlapping ACMA transition periods.

9 AS/ACIF transition period

(1) If:

an amendment instrument or a replacement standard determines arrangements to deal with any issues of a transitional nature that may arise as a result of the amendment or replacement of the AS/ACIF Standard;
the arrangements are for a specified period commencing on the day the AS/ACIF Standard is amended or replaced; and
the arrangements have the effect of allowing a relevant item to comply with:

(i) the AS/ACIF Standard as in force immediately before the commencement of the specified period; or

(ii) the AS/ACIF Standard, or the replacement standard, as in force at the commencement of the specified period;

the specified period is an AS/ACIF transition period for the amendment or replacement of the AS/ACIF Standard, for the purposes of section 8.

(2) For the purposes of subsection (1), each of the following is a relevant item:

(a) an item that is manufactured in Australia or imported during the specified period;

(b) a modified item that is made in Australia or imported during the specified period.

10 Class of items

(1) In this technical standard:

(a) an item (other than a modified item) is included in a class of items if the item:

(i) is identical to each other item of the class (irrespective of when the items were manufactured or imported); and

(ii) has the same manufacturer or importer as each other item; and

(b) the original item, in relation to the class of items, is the item of the class that was the first to be manufactured in Australia or imported.

(2) In this technical standard:

(a) a modified item is included in a class of items if:

(i) the modification which resulted in that item is identical to the modification which resulted in each other item of the class (irrespective of when the items were so modified);

(ii) the modified item is, in all other respects, identical to each other item (irrespective of when the items were manufactured or imported); and

(iii) the modified item has the same manufacturer or importer as each other item; and

(b) the original modified item, in relation to the class of items, is the item of the class that was the first to be so modified in Australia.

11 Date a modified item is made

In this technical standard, a reference to the date a modified item is made is a reference to the date of making of the modification which results in that item.

Part 3 – Application and requirements

12 Application

This technical standard applies to customer equipment that has a hierarchical digital interface at 2,048 kbit/s, 8,448 kbit/s, 34,368 kbit/s or 139,264 kbit/s, and that is used, or is to be used, for connection to a telecommunications network.

Note: In this technical standard, a reference to a telecommunications network is a reference to a telecommunications network in Australia that is operated by a carrier or carriage service provider (see section 7 and subsection 374(1) of the Act).

13 Requirements

(1) An item (other than a modified item) must meet the requirements of subsection 14(1), (2), (3) or (4).

(2) A modified item must meet the requirements of subsection 15(1), (2), (3), (5) or (6).

14 Standard for items (other than modified items)

If an item complies with the AS/ACIF Standard as in force on the date the item is manufactured in Australia or imported, the item meets the requirements of this subsection.
If an item:

is included in a class of items; and
complies with the AS/ACIF Standard as in force on the date the original item of the class was manufactured in Australia or imported;

the first-mentioned item meets the requirements of this subsection.

If an item:

is manufactured in Australia or imported during an ACMA transition period; and
complies with:

the AS/ACIF Standard as in force immediately before the commencement of the transition period; or

the AS/ACIF Standard, or a replacement standard, as in force at the commencement of the transition period;

the item meets the requirements of this subsection.

an ACMA transition period overlaps with another ACMA transition period;
an item is manufactured in Australia or imported during the period of overlap; and
the item complies with:

the AS/ACIF Standard as in force immediately before the commencement of the earliest of those transition periods; or
the AS/ACIF Standard, or a replacement standard, as in force at the commencement of any one of those transition periods;

the item meets the requirements of this subsection.

15 Standard for modified items

If a modified item complies with the AS/ACIF Standard as in force on the date the modified item is made in Australia, the modified item meets the requirements of this subsection.
If a modified item:

is included in a class of items; and
complies with the AS/ACIF Standard as in force on the date the original modified item of the class was made in Australia;

the first-mentioned item meets the requirements of this subsection.

(3) If:

(a) a modified item would have been included in a class of items but for the making of the modification which resulted in that item; and

(b) the modification is not material and, in particular, the modified item complies with the AS/ACIF Standard as in force on the date the original item of the class was made in Australia or imported;

the first-mentioned item meets the requirements of this subsection.

(4) For the purposes of subsection (3), the modification is material if the modification would or could reasonably be expected to affect whether the modified item complies with the AS/CA Standard as in force on the date the original item of the class was made in Australia or imported.

(5) If a modified item:

is made in Australia during an ACMA transition period; and
complies with:

the AS/ACIF Standard as in force immediately before the commencement of the transition period; or
the AS/ACIF Standard, or a replacement standard, as in force at the commencement of the transition period;

the modified item meets the requirements of this subsection.

an ACMA transition period overlaps with another ACMA transition period;
a modified item is made in Australia during the period of overlap; and
the modified item complies with:

the AS/ACIF Standard as in force immediately before the commencement of the earliest of those transition periods; or
the AS/ACIF Standard, or a replacement standard, as in force at the commencement of any one of those transition periods;

the modified item meets the requirements of this subsection.

Part 4 – Savings and transitional arrangements

16 Items manufactured, imported or modified before commencement

(1) If an item (other than a modified item):

was manufactured in Australia or imported before the commencement of this technical standard; and
complies with the Telecommunications Technical Standard (Requirements for Customer Equipment with hierarchical digital interfaces – AS/ACIF S016) 2015 as in force immediately before the commencement of this technical standard;

the item is taken to comply with this technical standard.

(2) If a modified item:

was made in Australia before the commencement of this technical standard; and
complies with the Telecommunications Technical Standard (Requirements for Customer Equipment with hierarchical digital interfaces – AS/ACIF S016) 2015 as in force immediately before the commencement of this technical standard;

the modified item is taken to comply with this technical standard.