The deployment of 5G technology in Australia is a step closer, with the ACMA taking applications for millimetre wave (mmWave) spectrum in the 26 and 28 GHz bands from November.
MmWave spectrum is considered the next frontier in the rollout of 5G. MmWave can send large amounts of data with minimal delay – allowing faster digital communication and new opportunities for connectivity and innovative uses supporting Australia’s digital transformation.
MmWave in the 26 and 28 GHz bands will support a wide range of 5G uses including for private and localised uses for transport, health, education, advanced manufacturing and mining, as well as wireless broadband, satellite and the internet of things.
The ACMA is facilitating a mix of licence types in the 26 and 28 GHz bands, including area-wide apparatus licences (AWLs), spectrum licensing in 26 GHz for dense deployment of networks in high population areas, and class licences for ubiquitous low power devices. AWLs provide users a more flexible licence type that can be scalable to a licensee’s needs.
The allocation and issuing of AWLs will occur in the 26 and 28 GHz mmWave bands, across November 2020 (Round 1) and after the spectrum auction in the first half of 2021 (Round 2).
Applications for Round 1 of AWL allocations open at 10 AM on 4 November 2020 (AEDT) and close at 5 PM on 17 November 2020.
