2. Background

Devices using UWB technology are under development and some are already available on the international market. The Ministry released an engineering discussion paper in April 2005 to provide interested parties with the opportunity to comment on the options available to the Ministry for a suitable licensing regime, to manage the introduction of these devices.

It was recognised that a variety of the groups who would be interested in this issue may not be familiar with the current radio spectrum management legislation and regulations. To ensure that the issues were better understood by these groups, a series of three workshops were held in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Based on the submissions and other inputs received, especially from international forums, the Ministry has considered how best to manage the immediate licensing requirements while recognising the evolving nature of the technological standards. The next steps in this process are explained in the final section of this document.