ACMA releases class licence for intelligent transport systems

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has issued regulations to support the rollout of intelligent transport systems (ITS).

ITS involves the use of vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-person or vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication (via ‘Dedicated Short Range Communications’, or DSRC).

A new class licence issued by the ACMA in December supports DSRC for ITS in the 5.9GHz band without the need for operators of particular devices to obtain individual licences. The licence does not permit operation within 70 kilometres of the Murchison Radioastronomy Observatory, in order to avoid causing interference with its work.

ITS offer the potential “to reduce the number of transport accidents, relieve traffic congestion, and reduce the environmental impacts of transport on Australian roads,” the ACMA’s explanatory statement says.

Cooperative-ITS “can be used for a wide range of applications, such as monitoring and managing traffic flow, relieving traffic congestion, providing alternative routes to travellers and reducing the environmental impacts of transport,” said a 2016 ACMA consultation paper on proposed regulatory measures to facilitate the introduction of C-ITS.

“The transmission of real-time information between vehicles, or between vehicles and road network operators, has the potential to improve road safety, reduce the number of crashes and save lives”

“ITS are expected to make roads smarter, safer and cleaner through the use of communications technologies,” said the ACMA’s acting chair, James Cameron. 

“The new class licence will facilitate the rollout of the latest transportation communications technology, putting Australia on par with other nations adopting ITS,” Cameron said in a statement.

The ACMA said the allocation of the 5.9GHz for ITS meant Australia is in line the US and EU.

In Australia, 2016 V2I trials staged by Telstra and Cohda Wireless leveraged the telco’s 4G network.