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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.
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.
General User Radio Licence (GURL) Provisions:
|
Frequency Range |
Power |
Modulation |
Restrictions |
|
2.4 - 2.4835 GHz |
1 watt peak eirp |
any modulation |
|
|
2.4 - 2.4835 GHz |
4 watt peak eirp |
frequency hopping or digital modulation only |
|
|
5.15 - 5.25 GHz |
200 mW peak eirp |
any modulation |
-indoor W-LAN only |
|
5.25 - 5.35 GHz |
200 mW peak |
any modulation |
-W-LAN only |
|
5.725 - 5.875 GHz |
1 watt peak eirp |
any modulation |
|
|
5.725 - 5.875 GHz |
4 watt peak |
frequency hopping or digital modulation only |
|
|
5.725 - 5.825 GHz (refer to Note 1) |
200 watt peak eirp with a max 1 watt peak transmitter power |
digital modulation only |
-Fixed Radio Link Devices (FRL) only -Peak power spectral density must not exceed 17dBM/MHz |
Frequency coordination
Frequency 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
- Point-to-multipoint, omni-directional, and multiple co-located transmitters transmitting the same information are not permitted (ie. point-to-point applications only).
- Power must not exceed that necessary to reasonably maintain communications.
- Notwithstanding the provisions of the above condition regarding frequency coordination, the Ministry reserves the right to require and ensure that any transmission pursuant to the General User Radio Licence change frequency, reduce power, or cease operation, where reasonable evidence is provided to the Ministry of:
- harmful interference being caused to licensed services operating outside the range of frequencies specified in the licence; or
- intentional harmful interference being caused to licensed services operating within the range of frequencies specified in the licence.
