ACMA releases spectrum outlook report for 2014-18

A plan to review Australia’s strategy for mobile broadband and a forward-looking strategic research program lead this year’s edition of the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s (ACMA) five-year spectrum outlook (FYSO).

The FYSO covers issues in the Australian spectrum environment that will influence management priorities in the near term. Informed by stakeholder contributions, the FYSO 2014-18 complements ACMA’s upcoming RadComms2014 conference.

A discussion about Australia’s mobile broadband strategy will be a feature of Day 1 of RadComms2014, with the work plan provided in the FYSO informing that discussion.

“As we know from the results of our research released earlier this year, mobile broadband contributed a significant 2.28% increase to Australia’s total GDP over the period 2007 to 2013. But mobile broadband is just the start in exploring the GDP contribution from spectrum,” said ACMA Chairman Chris Chapman.

“Spectrum supports many more industries and public interest uses, so to quantify and unlock the value of spectrum across the economy, the ACMA is broadening the scope of its research program to look at other significant sectors.

“Consistent with the theme of our conference, the outlook also sets out how the ACMA will take stock of our existing spectrum management decision-making framework to ensure that our future regulatory approach continues to remain fit for purpose, relevant and as light-touch as is feasible while reflecting international experience and regulatory best practice,” Chapman added.

The FYSO outlines the spectrum demand environment and ACMA’s strategic direction and spectrum priorities in response to this demand, explaining how these priorities are determined and how ACMA decides which work programs will be delivered in the 2014-18 period.

The latest FYSO edition differs from previous editions in that it includes detailed explanations on how the ACMA determines its priorities and decides which work programs are to be delivered.

Key priorities and themes include:

• Mobile broadband strategy. The ACMA says the tension between enabling the economic and societal benefits derived from mobile broadband, and the importance of balancing this growth with the continued provision and development of other important uses of spectrum, are several of the key factors it is considering.
• Review of spectrum regulation. The ACMA says it is working with the Department of Communications in the Spectrum Management Review announced by the Minister for Communications on 23 May, with the aim of providing an opportunity to update the regulatory framework by systematically assessing the ‘fit’ of current and proposed regulatory tools to the contemporary and emerging communications environment.
• Spectrum as an economic enabler. The ACMA says it expects to build on the results of its research into the economic impacts of mobile broadband on the Australian economy by broadening its scope to look at other significant sectors.
• Innovative approaches to regulation. The quick adoption of new technologies and services ensures economic benefits accrue for both industry and consumers. Therefore, ACMA says, it is important that the regulatory framework is able to quickly respond to the changing spectrum environment and continue to meet stakeholder needs.

“To manage any possibility of a future spectrum crunch, the ACMA will need to continue to take long-term planning horizons into account, given the long lead times associated with changing uses of spectrum,” Chapman said.

“The ACMA continues to critically evaluate demand and the need for spectrum across all sectors to better understand the complex and dynamic interaction of social, economic and technical factors that drive spectrum requirements.”