Information on the operation of Wireless LAN and Related Systems in the 2 GHz and 5 GHz Bands

General User Radio Licences

Under the provisions of General User Licences, various uses of radio spectrum are exempt from individual licensing fees. General User Licence bands are commonly known as "spectrum public parks", "unlicensed bands", or "class licence bands". In many instances the nature of the technologies employed, or the short operating ranges involved, limits the potential for interference between different application sharing the same spectrum.

In recent times significant interest has developed in the provision of high-capacity data services in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, particularly in regard to the Internet. Terminology relating to such applications includes "RLANs", "Wi-Fi", "802.11", "Hotspots", and "WISPs". This document is intended as a guide to the regulatory provisions for such services under General User Licences. It does not, however, exempt any person from the requirement to fully comply with the Radiocommunications Act 1989, the Radiocommunications Act 2001, or any notices made under that Act and those regulations.

General User Radio Licence (GURL) Provisions:

Frequency Coordination

Frequency use is on a shared basis and is the Ministry does not accept liability under any circumstances for any loss or damage of any kind occasioned by the unavailability of frequencies, or interference to reception. Nevertheless, the Ministry recognises that coordination between users can minimise the risk of interference between services. The Ministry therefore encourages the establishment of local user groups or associations to coordinate installations, technologies, and systems for the equitable utilisation by all users of the available frequencies.

Note 1: Additional provisions in regard to the Fixed Radio Link (FRL) GURL