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<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Australian radio amateurs may lose the 2300 – 2302 MHz band<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Australian regulator, the ACMA, has informed the Wireless Institute of Australia of proposed changes to spectrum usage in the 2300 – 2302 MHz band, which will result in Advanced Licensees losing access to that spectrum.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The ACMA proposes to acquire the spectrum for LTE radio purposes. LTE, or long-term evolution, (marketed as 4G LTE), is a wireless standard for<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">high-speed data over mobile phones and data terminals.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The change will give LTE services the full 100MHz segment from 2300 – 2400MHz, or twenty 5MHz LTE channels, and naturally the government revenue from any resulting spectrum auction would be very significant.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Losing any spectrum is always a great concern to radio amateurs, and this secondary allocation spectrum is the only viable option for Earth-Moon-Earth (EME) contacts to Region II (where the EME activity is on 2304 MHz)
or Region I (which uses 2320 MHz). Australian radio amateur EME activity would then be confined to 2400 MHz and above, where ISM and Wi-Fi equipment is likely to cause interference to local EME stations.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The ACMA plans to recommend the change to the Minister for Broadband,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Communications and the Digital Economy, and make the changes under section 153B of the Radiocommunications Act 1992. If the Minister approves the change radio amateurs will probably lose access to the spectrum in 2015.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Before making such a recommendation to the Minister the ACMA is required to undertake extensive consultation with stakeholders, and has prepared the consultation paper with the draft recommendation at Attachment A. The
ACMA will also be writing to all Advanced Amateur Radio Operators (who are affected by this proposal) to provide them with a copy of the notice and inviting their comments.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Radio amateurs are encouraged to forward their comments to the ACMA by Wednesday 27th March 2013, to the address in the paper.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Phil Wait, VK2ASD<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">WIA President <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">More is at wia.org.au<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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