{"id":"F2019L01231","name":"Telecommunications (Carrier Licence and Nominated Carrier Declaration Exemption—Wireless Network Unit) Determination 2019","slug":"telecommunications-carrier-licence-and-nominated-carrier-declaration-exemption-wireless-network-unit","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":440243,"registerId":"F2019L01231-fast-fetch-1775955945602","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Telecommunications (Carrier Licence and Nominated Carrier Declaration Exemption—Wireless Network Unit) Determination 2019","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\n![Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia](image.001.jpeg)\n\n \n\nTelecommunications (Carrier Licence and Nominated Carrier Declaration Exemption—Wireless Network Unit) Determination 2019\n\nI, PAUL FLETCHER, Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, make the following determination.\n\nDated 18 September 2019   \n\nPaul Fletcher\n\nMinister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nContents\n\n1  Name\n\n2  Commencement\n\n3  Authority\n\n4  Definitions\n\n5  Schedules\n\n6  Exemptions\n\nSchedule 1—Repeals\n\nDetermination under subsection 51(1) (No. 1 of 2002)\n\n \n\n \n\n1  Name\n\n  This instrument is the Telecommunications (Carrier Licence and Nominated Carrier Declaration Exemption—Wireless Network Unit) Determination 2019.\n\n2  Commencement\n\n  This instrument commences on the day it is registered.\n\n3  Authority\n\n  This instrument is made under subsection 51(1) of the Telecommunications Act 1997.\n\n4  Definitions\n\nNote: A number of expressions used in this instrument are defined in section 7 of the Act, including the following:\n\n(a) base station that is part of a terrestrial radiocommunications customer access network;\n\n(b) carriage service;\n\n(c) carrier licence;\n\n(d) distinct places;\n\n(e) line link;\n\n(f) network unit;\n\n(g) nominated carrier declaration.\n\n  In this instrument:\n\nAct means the Telecommunications Act 1997.\n\nfixed-line network means a network made up of one or more line links.\n\nWireless Network Unit means a network unit which is a base station that is part of a terrestrial radiocommunications customer access network.\n\n5  Schedules\n\n  Each instrument that is specified in a Schedule to this instrument is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this instrument has effect according to its terms.\n\n6  Exemption\n\n  Section 42 of the Act does not apply in relation to a Wireless Network Unit where:\n\n (a) the Wireless Network Unit is used to supply a carriage service to users where the users are not in a distinct place from the Wireless Network Unit; and\n\n (b) a carrier licence or a nominated carrier declaration is not, or would not be, required under section 42 of the Act in respect of the use of a fixed-line network to supply a carriage service under the same circumstances as referred to in paragraph (a).\n\n\n\n\nSchedule 1—Repeals\n\nDetermination under subsection 51(1) (No. 1 of 2002)\n\n1  The whole of the instrument\n\nRepeal the instrument.\n\n \n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation maintains its original narrow purpose: creating a targeted exemption from carrier licensing for specific wireless network units. It does not expand beyond this discrete regulatory relief function. The repeal of the 2002 instrument represents a technical update rather than scope creep."},"complexity_factors":["Very short instrument (approximately 1.5 pages of substantive content)","Only 1 defined term in the instrument itself ('Wireless Network Unit'), though it references 7 defined terms from the parent Act","Single operative provision (section 6) with a straightforward two-limbed test","No nested exceptions or complex conditional logic — just a simple exemption with two cumulative conditions","Minimal cross-referencing (only to section 42 of the Telecommunications Act 1997 and the 2002 determination being repealed)","Clear structure: name, commencement, authority, definitions, operative provision, repeal schedule"],"plain_english_summary":"This law creates a carve-out from Australia’s carrier‑licensing rules for certain wireless base stations used in terrestrial customer access networks: if the base station serves users at the same location and the same service wouldn’t require a carrier licence if delivered by fixed‑line, no carrier licence is needed. It eases regulation for private/localised 4G/5G networks (mines, campuses, airports), affects operators, tech providers and the ACMA, and repeals a 2002 determination."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"This instrument repeals the earlier determination (Schedule 1) and replaces it with a targeted exemption: Wireless Network Units are excluded from s42 where users are co‑located with the unit and the same activity over a fixed‑line would not require a licence (see s6). The scope therefore shifts to a narrowly defined, conditional exemption for wireless base stations."},"complexity_factors":["Cross-reference to section 42 of the Telecommunications Act 1997 — core obligation and exemption hinge on statutory wording (s6 references s42).","Reliance on definitions in section 7 of the Act (e.g. 'base station', 'network unit', 'distinct places') — application depends on legal/technical definitions.","Factual location test: 'users are not in a distinct place from the Wireless Network Unit' — requires case‑by‑case factual assessment and evidence (s6(a)).","Comparative fixed‑line test: exemption only if a fixed‑line network would not require a licence for the same circumstance — involves hypothetical comparison of network types (s6(b)).","Schedule 1 repeals an earlier instrument — tracking prior instrument content is necessary to see net change.","Enforcement and compliance burden falls on operators to show circumstances meet the exemption; regulator retains interpretive discretion under the Act."],"plain_english_summary":"This determination exempts certain Wireless Network Units (wireless base stations that form part of a customer access network) from the carrier‑licence and nominated‑carrier declaration requirements in section 42 of the Telecommunications Act 1997. It applies where the unit supplies a carriage service to users who are at the same place as the unit and where an equivalent fixed‑line setup would not need a licence. Operators in those circumstances no longer must hold a carrier licence or make a nominated carrier declaration; the instrument also repeals the prior determination it replaces."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/telecommunications-carrier-licence-and-nominated-carrier-declaration-exemption-wireless-network-unit","history":"/api/acts/telecommunications-carrier-licence-and-nominated-carrier-declaration-exemption-wireless-network-unit/history","analysis":"/api/acts/telecommunications-carrier-licence-and-nominated-carrier-declaration-exemption-wireless-network-unit/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/telecommunications-carrier-licence-and-nominated-carrier-declaration-exemption-wireless-network-unit/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/telecommunications-carrier-licence-and-nominated-carrier-declaration-exemption-wireless-network-unit/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/telecommunications-carrier-licence-and-nominated-carrier-declaration-exemption-wireless-network-unit/documents"}}