[MLB-WIRELESS] Paths clearing for wireless networks

[Drew]

Paths clearing for wireless networks
By Sue Cant
June 18 2002


Within weeks, the regulatory clouds shadowing community wireless groups 
should clear. The Australian Communications Authority is working on a 
series of tests to allow such groups to operate legally without giving a 
free kick to commercial operators.

Earlier this year the Minister for Communications, IT and the Arts, 
Senator Richard Alston, requested his department work with the ACA to 
resolve the legal standing of community wireless groups effectively 
providing a public network.

Under the law, such a network requires a $10,000 carrier's licence 
unless it is not being used for commercial purposes.

Establishing whether such a network is being used for profit is 
difficult in the wild west of the wireless world.

But forcing potentially innovative users to pay when the philosophy is 
supposed to be about encouraging new entrants and open access is not the 
IT-savvy image government wants to project.

"We recognise hobbyists have some trepidation that we may come down hard 
on them," the ACA's head of telecom licensing, Paul White, says.

"We don't wish to prejudice the hobbyist but we don't wish to give 
commercial operators a free leg-up."

One of these groups, Melbourne Wireless, which represents thousands of 
wireless users in Australia and New Zealand, has been lobbying the 
Federal Government and the ACA for its position to be clarified.

"By preventing organisations such as Melbourne Wireless from 
establishing their own networks, the long-term interests of end users 
are being thwarted," the group says in a submission to a parliamentary 
inquiry into wireless broadband.

Melbourne Wireless president Steven Haigh says present broadband 
services are not equitable, accessible or affordable, and Melbourne 
Wireless's network will be free or low-cost.

In the ACA's submission to the inquiry, the regulator says that last 
December it was approached by Brismesh, a Brisbane group wanting to set 
up a wireless local area network. Brismesh was seeking advice on the 
issue of a carrier's licence.

"A requirement for a carrier licence in this instance would make such a 
proposal unworkable and deny the intended community any benefits that a 
low-cost broadband service could provide," the ACAsubmisson says.

To meet the concerns of users, the ACA is developing rules to bind 
wireless groups to a not-for-profit charter.

White says the groups will need to be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

While the regulator is still working on the tests, White says it is 
likely the ACA will seek information about the arrangements between the 
network providers and users and how funds are being used by the operators.

Meanwhile, in another submission to the parliamentary inquiry, 
telecommunications analyst Paul Budde says wireless will never be able 
to match the reliability, quality and robustness that fixed line offers.

Budde says investment is lacking to make wireless networks function 
beyond niche markets.

"Without massive government support, the development of wireless systems 
in most rural and regional areas in Australia will never happen," Budde 
says.

He says the government missed an opportunity to support such systems by 
"playing it safe" and selecting Telstra for two large-scale regional 
projects.

"The other contenders had developed unique wireless solutions that were 
seen by the government as too risky."

But Budde says the reality is that wireless is a niche market.

This story was found at: 
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/06/15/1023864366638.html


Steven Haigh wrote:

>Check out the article on the front page of the IT section of tomorrows The Age 
>- not sure what other papers will carry it in other states...
>
>  
>





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