The Australian Communications and Media Authority has recently finalised radiocommunications licensing arrangements to facilitate mobile communication services on aircraft.
‘The arrangements reflect the ACMA’s commitment to facilitating new and innovative services that provide a benefit to the public and increase consumer choice,’ said ACMA Chairman Chris Chapman.
‘In developing these arrangements, the ACMA was conscious of the need for harmonisation with aviation safety regulations and the protection of terrestrial communications networks from interference. ‘
The ACMA has consulted closely with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, which has raised no technical objections to the new arrangements.
In areas which are not spectrum licensed, the new regulatory arrangements will authorise and license mobile communication services on aircraft by apparatus and class licences. In spectrum licensed areas and as a consequence of the current legislative construct, mobile communication services on aircraft may be authorised by agreement with the spectrum licence holder.
‘The licensing arrangements will allow airlines to deploy mobile communication services on their aircraft through special on-board systems, should they choose to do so,’ said Mr Chapman.
The use of on-board systems must at all times be in accordance with airline safety and operational procedures. Calls connecting directly to terrestrial networks are not authorised under the licensing arrangements.
Should alternative, safe methods of mobile communication on aircraft be proposed for commercial operation in the future (including those that access Australia’s terrestrial networks), the ACMA would move to consider those methods.
V Australia has announced plans to offer on-board SMS and data services subject to the ACMA making appropriate regulatory arrangements (which the licensing arrangements now facilitate).
In establishing permanent licensing arrangements, the ACMA does not propose to restrict the types of mobile communication services on aircraft that can be offered in order to exclude any particular service, including voice calls.
The ACMA regards the deployment of any particular kind of service as entirely a commercial decision to be made by service providers and airlines.
Following feedback from industry, the ACMA has adopted a revised fee regime and the licence issue charge will now be consistent with the ACMA’s charging for other apparatus licences.
Source: ACMA
As a vital part of its Reconnecting the Customer inquiry, the Australian Communications and Media Authority is seeking the broadest possible input on the problems telecommunications customers are experiencing with customer service and complaints-handling.
In announcing the formal terms of reference for the inquiry today, ACMA Chairman Chris Chapman said, ‘We want to understand what the problems are – the way the telecommunications industry is dealing with its customers and the root causes of those problems. And critically, we want to identify enduring solutions that will improve customer service and complaints-handling, both now and into the foreseeable future.’
A consultation paper also released today with the terms of reference seeks input about these issues from everyday members of the Australian public, consumer groups, telecommunications companies and other regulatory agencies. [click to continue…]
Methods of paying for goods and services via a mobile phone already exist, notably when it comes to premium SMS services which are often, but not exclusively, used for purchase of digital content. More advanced forms of mobile payment are now emerging.
In order to be abreast of the development curve and anticipate potential problems with emerging forms of mobile payment, the ACMA undertook this qualitative research study in order to obtain a better appreciation of the expectations of consumers and the possible need for consumer safeguards.
Teenagers, young adults and older persons — including parents — participated in focus group sessions in metropolitan and regional areas of Australia, and discussed a range of scenarios for the development of mobile payment.
As well as enabling the ACMA to better understand the potential benefits and problems associated with new mobile payment systems, the research also informs the ACMA in relation to the review of the Mobile Premium Services Code and contributes to the ACMA’s digital media literacy program.
Source: ACMA
The number of households in Australia is projected to increase by up to 4 million over the next 25 years, according to projections released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). This is an increase from 7.8 million households in 2006 to up to 11.8 million in 2031.
Family households are projected to show the largest increase and to remain the most common household type in Australia. The number of family households is projected to increase by as many as 2.4 million households, from 5.6 million in 2006 to up to 8.0 million in 2031.
Couple only families are projected to increase the most rapidly of all types of families over the next 25 years. If recent trends continue, couple only families will overtake the number of couple families with children, in either 2013 or 2014. This is mainly related to the ageing of the population, with baby boomers becoming ‘empty nesters’.
The number of Australians living alone is projected to have the most rapid increase of all household types, increasing by up to 91% over the next 25 years to 3.6 million by 2031. The rapid increase of people living alone is mainly related to the ageing of the population.
The latest survey of the Australian Bureau of Statistics on internet activity found that there were 9.1 million active internet subscribers in Australia.
The figures are based on results from all ISPs operating in Australia with more than 1,000 active subscribers as at 31 December 2009.
Other highlights of the ABS survey:
- The phasing out of dial-up internet connections continued with nearly 90% of internet connections now being non dial-up.
- Australians also continued to access higher download speeds, with 62% of access connections having a download speed of 1.5Mbps or greater.
- Digital subscriber line (DSL) continued to be the major technology for connections, accounting for 51% of non dial-up connections. However, this percentage share has decreased since June 2009 when DSL represented 57% of non dial-up connections.
- Mobile wireless via a datacard, dongle or USB modem was the fastest growing technology in internet connections, increasing to 2.8 million in December 2009. This represents a 40% increase from June 2009.
Active subscribers are defined as subscribers who have accessed the internet or paid for access to the internet during the three months ending 31 December 2009.
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