Broadband

Mr Fletcher asked:

What:

(a) consideration has been given to the fact that the Ka band satellite solutions proposed by NBN Co. Limited will be affected by adverse meteorological conditions, particularly cyclonic events, and

(b) arrangements are being made for remote land and maritime based mining and oil/gas operations that presently use C band services if the frequencies that use this band are re-allocated for commercial wireless broadband purposes.

Mr Albanese responded:

The Government and NBN Co are aware that all telecommunications platforms are potentially susceptible to catastrophic weather events, such as cyclones. In developing the Ka-band satellite platform, NBN Co is also working to develop strategies to minimize disturbances caused by such events.

The C-band currently supports a number of uses including fixed wireless and satellite services. As such, there are a number of arrangements already in place to allow services to share this spectrum band.

In May 2011, the Australian Communications and Media Authority outlined that, while under consideration, the C-band is not yet formally included as a potential band for mobile broadband. However, it is standard ACMA procedure for any band replanning activity to take into consideration many factors including the operation of existing services and would involve consultation with interested stakeholders prior to any new arrangements being adopted.