Australia - Regulatory Environment - Spectrum Management

Synopsis

This report has been archived. In Australia the Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA) manages the broadcasting spectrum and the Australian Communications Authority (ACMA) the spectrum required for telecommunications services. The regimes are regulated in a national spectrum plan. Convergence of technologies and of the various functions and applications are making it increasingly more difficult to have separate regulators. A review of these arrangements was launched in late 2002. During the spectrum hype of 1999/2000 the market also started to attract commercial operators, however the consequent telco crisis dampened that initiative. With a range of new wireless broadband activities around the corner, interest in spectrum activities however, will remain high.