The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) assigned licences in the 3.4GHz to 4GHz band to 31 companies which applied for area-wide allocations for remote regions in July.

Licences went to resource companies, organisations providing public and private telecoms services, and government agencies to cover a wide range of business cases including broadband services for remote communities, health and safety services, and autonomous operation and monitoring.

The companies awarded licences were not named, but ACMA stated the high degree of interest showed the “diverse industries for which spectrum has become a critical input”.

Licences are service- and technology-flexible, “and scalable to different network sizes and topographies”, allowing “licensees to roll out” customised networks to meet the specific requirements of different businesses, ACMA explained.

They are “suitable for small, localised services as well as nationwide networks”. 

The assignment was the first tranche of a wider allocation of mid-band spectrum by ACMA. 

AMCA said the applications for area-wide licences were assessed against legislative and policy criteria.