International plans for the early adoption of 3.6GHz for 5G services have led the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to bring forward public discussion of the use of this part of spectrum.
In Australia, the 1.5GHz and 3.6GHz bands are used for a variety of services, including fixed-broadband and other fixed radio services, satellite services, and military purposes.
"In the last year, consideration of these bands for mobile broadband has progressed significantly on the international stage," said acting ACMA chairman Richard Bean. "Given the momentum developing, the time is right for us to consider the potential for re-planning the bands in Australia."
ACMA has released a discussion paper — Future use of the 1.5GHz and 3.6GHz bands — and has invited public comment on the issues.
{loadposition stephen08}These range from the basics (eg, "Should the 1.5 GHz band and/or the 3.6 GHz band be progressed from the initial investigation stage to the preliminary re-planning stage in the ACMA’s process for consideration of additional spectrum for MBB services?") to technical (eg, "Should a frequency division duplex (FDD), supplemental downlink (SDL) or time division duplex (TDD) arrangement be adopted?") and commercial (eg, "Is demand the same or similar across regions (that is, across metropolitan, rural and remote areas), or are some regions more likely to be in demand for fixed and mobile broadband providers?") matters.
Submissions must be made by 25 November.
ACMA says its preliminary assessments are that the highest-value use of both bands has or may be changing in some areas, and suggests it may be possible to start re-farming the spectrum as soon as the fourth quarter of 2017.
Image: incorporates map by NordNordWest [CC BY-SA 3.0] via Wikimedia Commons