ACMA To Auction 2010-2025 MHz Band

Written by Adam Gosling

Tuesday, 22 August 2006

The Australian Communications and Media Authority putting up some more spectrum suitable for wireless broadband services covering major capitals and most major regional centres. The auction of spectrum licences in the 2010-2025 MHz band will close at 11 am on 27 September 2006. ‘The spectrum is suitable for the delivery of wireless broadband services, although licensees can use the spectrum for any purpose as long as they comply with the associated technical framework,' said Giles Tanner, General Manager of ACMA's Inputs to Industry Division. ‘There is spectrum available in all states and territories covering metropolitan and regional areas.' The band will be offered in two parcels, one 10 MHz lot and one 5 MHz lot in each area, except in Western Australia where only 10 MHz is available due to the potential for interference with the the Gnangara space tracking centre. Buyers can aggregate the lots into 15 MHz and a wide-area or national licence of spectrum at a simultaneous multi-round auction. A simultaneous multi-round auction allows participants to bid simultaneously on any or all of the lots on offer in each round of the auction. The eight proposed licence areas are: New South Wales / Australian Capital Territory covering Sydney, Canberra and most of regional New South Wales (excluding southern New South Wales); North Queensland, covering Gladstone, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns; Northern Territory, covering Darwin; South Australia, covering Adelaide, the Yorke and Eyre Peninsulas and south-eastern South Australia; South Queensland, covering Brisbane, Bundaberg and the south-east corner of Queensland; Tasmania; Victoria, covering Melbourne, regional Victoria and southern regional New South Wales including Albury; and Western Australia, covering Perth and south-west Western Australia. (Due to the potential interference from the Gnangara space tracking centre, only 10 MHz will be auctioned in Western Australia.)   The map (pdf file) shows the areas that will be auctioned. The licences will be issued for a fixed term of 15 years. Further details are available on the ACMA website. Related news items Telstra Wireless Hits Speed Record -24/09/2007 Vodafone HSDPA Stretches To Brisbane -05/07/2007 New ToughBook Hitting The Streets -25/02/2007 Latest Mobile Local Search Index Shows Consumers Prefer Movies To Margaritas -13/02/2007 China Heading Straight For 4G? -29/01/2007 Newer news items Not Just A Flash In The PRAM -11/09/2006 Vodafone First To Trial HSDPA In Aus -07/09/2006 As Precited: The End Of WLAN Standards Has Arrived -29/08/2006 Concept Phone With A Touch(less) Of Class -22/08/2006 Ericsson Invests In Aussie Wireless Smarts -22/08/2006 Older news items One Million Order For One Laptop -26/07/2006 Motorola To Trial WiMax handsets -25/07/2006 Google GDrive Info Leaked? -10/07/2006 Toshiba Announces 200GB Laptop Drive -05/06/2006 Future AMD Chips Will Power Down To Save Battery -04/06/2006 Tag This Now: