Skip to main content

Review of the unwanted emission boundary core condition on 3.4 GHz spectrum licenses

Independent Review – Australian Communications and Media Authority On 26 May 2020, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) announced changes to the 3.4 GHz spectrum licence core condition relating to unwanted emission boundaries. This change entails moving the unwanted emission boundary from 3740 MHz to 3840 MHz. The change to the 3.4 GHz unwanted emission boundary aligns with international standards for 5G frequency boundaries and ensures that licensees will not have to modify the relevant spectrum equipment to meet an Australian-specific condition. ACMA undertook public consultation and published two papers to inform its decision. These published documents include: • Review of the unwanted emission boundary – review paper; • Review of the unwanted emission boundary – outcomes paper. These documents detail the planning that the ACMA conducted on how to best amend the unwanted emissions condition and the associated risks in doing so. Consistent with the Government’s Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) requirements, the above two papers have been certified by ACMA as meeting the requirements of a RIS. The Office of Best Practice Regulation (OBPR) does not assess the quality of independent reviews and RIS-like documents used in lieu of a RIS. The agency estimates the average annual regulatory costs at zero.