Review of the pilot general user radio licence for fixed radio links (ARCHIVED)

Background

The pilot General User Radio Licence (GURL) for Fixed Radio Links (FRL) was introduced in June 2003. This allowed for fixed point to point links to operate in the 5725 to 5825 MHz band with up to 200 watts radiated power without individual licensing. The terms of the licence limited the transmitter output power to 1 watt requiring a high gain directional antenna to achieve the maximum radiated power.

Because GURL's have not generally been issued for such high power devices, the pilot was initially issued for a trial period with an expiry date of 30 June 2004.

Review of the current GURL

A review was undertaken to assess the future of this licence after the expiry date. This involved:

• Reviewing equivalent allocations in other key regions including Australia, UK/EU and USA

• Consulting with industry by way of a survey

• Researching the future trends in technologies, standards and regulations.

• Considering the content of the present licence.

Summary of findings

The NZ licence provided for fixed radio links to operate with a radiated power of up to 200 Watts in the 5725 to 5825 MHz band without individual licences. These links provided an economical solution for broadband services at remote sites up to 30 km from the core network.

This licence was based on a very similar regulation issued by the FCC in USA. There is no evidence that UK, Europe or Australia intend to issue similar regulations.

A survey of equipment suppliers and network operators indicated that at least 18 FRL systems operating at 5.8 GHz are currently in use and estimates of up to 250 may be installed over the next 3 years. (A summary of the responses to the survey is appended to this report.)

There was no evidence of FRL transmissions causing interference into other licensed services.

The industry generally supported the continuation of the GURL with its present conditions. Some suggestions on specific changes are noted in the survey summary.

The industry has expressed an interest in the establishment of a public record of all FRL installations to assist with co-ordination. Although most current operators work successfully with other band users to resolve interference issues, such a record is seen as a way of assisting with efficient technical use of the spectrum as the demand increases.

As with any GURL, interference issues will increase with usage. This has the potential to eventually lower the quality of service to users and limit availability of the band to newcomers.

The band 5725 to 5875 MHz is also available for low power WLAN systems using up to 4 Watts e.i.r.p. and omnidirectional antennas. These have the potential of causing interference into FRL systems in the same band. This interference could be minimised by encouraging low power systems, of less than 1 Watt e.i.r.p. to use other bands such as 5250 to 5350 MHz where FRL’s do not operate.

Outcomes of the review

• The Ministry has reissued the GURL from 1 July with no expiry date.
• The registration requirement outlined in the pilot licence has been replaced with a voluntary notification scheme. A form is on the RSM website enabling users to record their installations and contact details. This information will be entered into record of installations and made available to the public on the website. Users are encouraged to record their current fixed service installations and refer to the information on the website when planning new services. The voluntary notification scheme will be introduced on a trial basis and periodically reviewed to ensure its objectives are being met.
• It is important to note that the terms of the GURL for Fixed Radio Links do not require the Ministry to provide any assistance with frequency coordination or interference resolution.
• All other conditions of the current GURL will remain unchanged. These are fully compatible with the conditions for Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure Devices (U-NII) as specified in the FCC regulations, Part 15 Section 15.401 and 407. The equipment standards remain unchanged and are specified in the Radiocommunications (Radio Standards) Notice 2004.
• The Ministry is also considering the feasibility of making the 5470 to 5725 MHz band available for low power WLAN systems. This will increase the alternative spectrum for such systems and reduce the likelihood of interference into FRL from low power systems when operating in the same band.