Radiocommunications Advisory Guidelines (Managing Interference to Spectrum Licensed Receivers – 2 GHz Band) 2023

The instrument revolves around a small set of interlocking technical and regulatory concepts that determine when protection is available and what technical obligations attach to transmitters and receivers. These are: the notion of spectrum space, emission buffer zones and device boundary criterion, the notional receiver performance level, compatibility requirements, and the registration timing rule for protection.

Spectrum space identifies the three dimensional object of regulatory control as frequency band plus geographic area, and emission buffer zones are the practical safety margins applied along both frequency and geographic boundaries of a spectrum licence to limit emissions outside authorised spectrum or geography (s 5 definitions; s 7(2)). The instrument states that emission buffer zones can be created by specifying out-of-band and out-of-area emission limits in core licence conditions under section 66 of the Act, by the section 145 determination relating to unacceptable levels of interference and registration, and by advisory guidelines under section 262 (s 7(2)). The device boundary criterion is not specified numerically in the guideline; instead it is defined by reference to the section 145 determination or any successor instrument (s 5).

Receiver-centred protection is governed by the notional receiver performance level. The guideline establishes that, to obtain the presumptive protection it describes, a receiver must meet that notional level (s 12). Schedule 1 materialises the notional performance level as three testable parameters: adjacent channel selectivity (table in Schedule 1.2), intermodulation response rejection (Schedule 1.3), and receiver blocking (Schedule 1.4). The measurement point for these parameters is the antenna connector port, and frequency offsets are referenced to the upper and lower band limits of the spectrum licence under which the receiver operates (Schedule 1.2(2) and Schedule 1.1(2)). The guideline notes that the notional level is a product of duplex filtering and receiver equipment performance (Schedule 1.1(1) note).

Compatibility requirement operationalises the management of out-of-band interference in scenarios where emission limits across an entire geographic area would be impracticable or excessively restrictive (s 9(3)). For fixed receivers that satisfy defined eligibility conditions the compatibility requirement is stated as an unwanted signal level at the receiver antenna connector port of −108 dBm/5 MHz more than 95% of the time in any one hour period (Schedule 2.1(1)). Logarithmic scaling is to be used to translate that requirement for other bandwidths (Schedule 2.1(2)).

Registration and timing rules control entitlement to protection. The guideline makes protection contingent on the sequence of registration or licence issue: for apparatus-licensed transmitters, protection applies only where the receiver details were included in the Register before the apparatus licence was first issued under s 100 of the Act (s 10(1)); for spectrum-licensed transmitters, protection applies only where the receiver was included in the Register before the transmitter details were recorded (s 10(1)). Schedule 1 cross-references testing levels to a wanted signal level specified in Schedule 2, although the document contains an internal inconsistency on that point (see Gotchas).

The instrument also draws lines about what it will not do. It says the ACMA does not intend to afford protection from in-band interference caused by apparatus licences first issued before 12 October 2017 and it will not act where operations comply with class licence conditions (s 8(2), s 8(5)). Mobile receivers are excluded from the compatibility regime (s 11).

Taken together these concepts allocate a mix of technical obligations and eligibility rules that influence how parties plan deployments and how the ACMA will coordinate or resolve interference disputes.

The guideline identifies a set of affected actors and specifies, by licence type and timing, who may obtain protection and who must meet technical obligations. The principal affected parties are: spectrum licensees operating in the 2 GHz band, holders of apparatus licences and transmitter licences (including those first issued on or after 12 October 2017), Class licence operators, manufacturers and suppliers of radiocommunications receivers, and third parties involved in planning, coordination and interference settlement.

Spectrum licence holders in the 2 GHz band are affected in two ways. If they operate fixed receivers that meet the notional receiver performance level and that were included in the ACMA Register before the relevant transmitters were recorded or apparatus licences were first issued, their receivers are eligible for protection under the compatibility requirement and other measures in the guideline (s 13(2), s 10). Spectrum licensees that operate fixed transmitters are explicitly under an obligation to ensure those transmitters meet the compatibility requirement where the protected fixed receiver conditions are satisfied (s 13(1)). In-band interference from adjacent spectrum licences is to be managed by core licence conditions and the device boundary criterion, which bear directly on spectrum licensee rights and constraints (s 8(1)).

Apparatus and transmitter licence holders are affected by the date thresholds. Apparatus licences first issued on or after 12 October 2017 are treated, for in-band protection, as if they were spectrum licences; the device boundary criterion is to be applied to them (s 8(3)). The ACMA does not intend to afford in-band protection from apparatus licences issued before that date (s 8(2)). For out-of-band management, apparatus and spectrum licence holders must ensure transmitters meet the compatibility requirement when their operation is near a registered fixed receiver that meets the notional performance level and pre-dates the transmitter or apparatus licence entry (ss 10, 13).

Class licence holders are affected conditionally. The instrument states the ACMA does not intend to act in relation to in-band interference where a class-licensed operation complies with all relevant class licence conditions (s 8(5)). However the guideline also states it provides protection to 2 GHz receivers from interference caused by radiocommunications transmitters operated under a class licence (s 7(3)(a)(i)), so the practical effect is that class-licensed transmitters may cause interference but will not attract ACMA intervention provided they are within their class licence limits.

Receiver manufacturers and operators are affected because the guideline sets a notional receiver performance level which the ACMA will assume a receiver meets for the purpose of providing protection (s 12). A receiver must meet adjacent channel selectivity, intermodulation response rejection and receiver blocking minima, tested at the antenna connector port and using specified offsets (Schedule 1). Operators seeking protection will therefore have to ensure either that their installed equipment meets those parameters or that they accept the commercial consequences of non-protection.

Third parties engaged in planning and coordination are addressed by the guideline’s stated intended users: spectrum licensees, apparatus licensees and authorised third parties should use the instrument in planning services and resolving interference (s 7(5)). The Register and timing rules mean that planners must check whether receivers are recorded and whether those registrations pre-date the transmitter they propose to install (s 10).

Finally, the ACMA as regulator is affected in its enforcement and coordination role. The guideline directs how ACMA will use its powers under the Act, including core licence conditions under s 66 and the section 145 determination (s 7(2)). The guideline frames ACMA’s intended approach, including where it does not intend to act (s 8(2), s 8(5)).

In short, the allocation of obligations and protections depends on licence type, whether equipment is fixed or mobile, device performance, and the timing of Register entries or licence issue dates. Those factors determine who pays in mitigation or equipment upgrade, who decides on coordination, and who faces ongoing planning constraints.

The guideline embeds a mixture of explicit duties, presumptive rights to protection, and conditional entitlements. These are expressed in mandatory language for some actors, and in statements of ACMA intent for others.

Duties. The clearest duty in the guideline is on licensees of fixed transmitters to ensure compatibility with protected fixed receivers. Section 13(1) states, "the licensee of a fixed transmitter operated under an apparatus licence or a spectrum licence must ensure that the transmitter meets the compatibility requirement in Schedule 2." That is mandatory phrasing contained within the instrument. The compatibility requirement itself is specified in Schedule 2 as an unwanted signal level at the receiver antenna connector of −108 dBm/5 MHz more than 95% of the time in any one hour period (Schedule 2.1(1)). Logarithmic scaling applies for other bandwidths (Schedule 2.1(2)).

Receivers seeking protection carry an implicit duty to meet the notional performance level. Section 12(2) states the notional receiver performance level is to be used when setting a compatibility requirement for a receiver and then states a receiver should meet that level to gain protection. Schedule 1 specifies the measurable parameters and thresholds for meeting the notional level (Schedule 1 item 1).

Rights to protection. A fixed receiver that satisfies the notional performance level, and that was included in the Register before the triggering transmitter details or apparatus licence issue, has a right under the guideline to be afforded protection in accordance with its provisions (ss 10, 13(2)). The instrument specifies that protection is provided from interference caused by class-licensed transmitters, apparatus licences first issued on or after 12 October 2017, and spectrum licensed transmitters that were included in the Register on or after that date (s 7(3)(a)). However the guideline also states that the ACMA does not intend to afford protection from in-band interference caused by apparatus licences first issued before 12 October 2017 nor to act in relation to in-band interference where a class licence-compliant operation is involved (s 8(2), s 8(5)). That combination creates a conditional and temporally sensitive protection right.

Testing and measurement rights. The guideline sets where and how tests are to be performed. Schedule 1 states measurements are assessed at the antenna connector port, and that frequency offsets are specified with reference to the spectrum licence band edges (Schedule 1.1(2)). Schedule 1 also prescribes default assumptions for antenna gain and feeder losses used in coordination; where not specified in the Register use 18 dBi in all directions (Schedule 1.5).

Rights to negotiate. The instrument explicitly does not prevent parties from negotiating other protection arrangements (s 7(6)). That preserves contractual freedom and the ability for private parties to agree more or less protection or compensation than the guideline contemplates.

Administrative discretions. The guideline is made under s 262 and refers to other statutory mechanisms that carry explicit administrative discre­tion. Emission buffer zones are to be created by core licence conditions under s 66 and by the section 145 determination, instruments over which the ACMA exercises statutory discretion (s 7(2)). The device boundary criterion is defined by section 145 determination or its successor (s 5). The guideline itself contains strong prescriptive language in places, but it sits alongside statutory powers and determinations that ultimately determine enforceability and practical outcomes.

In sum, the guideline imposes direct duties on transmitter licence holders in certain circumstances, sets technical thresholds receivers must meet to claim protection, links entitlement to registration timing, and preserves private negotiation and statutory instruments as alternative or supplementary routes for interference management.

The guideline is an advisory instrument made under section 262 of the Act (s 3). It does not itself create criminal offences or tax liabilities. The text, however, uses mandatory wording in places that will interact with the Act’s enforcement framework, and it describes statutory instruments and licencing conditions that are the vehicles for enforcement.

Enforcement avenues identified or implied by the instrument include core licence conditions under section 66 of the Act, the section 145 determination regarding unacceptable levels of interference and registration, and registration-based licence conditions tied to section 69 of the Act (s 7(2)). The guideline explains that emission buffer zones may be created by specifying out-of-area and out-of-band emission limits as core conditions that must be included in all spectrum licences (s 7(2)(a)). Core licence conditions are statutory licence terms; failure to comply with a core condition can attract enforcement action under the Act, including penalties or suspension of privileges where the Act provides for such measures. The guideline does not set out those penalty regimes; they are contained in the Act itself and in other statutory instruments referenced by the guideline.

The device boundary criterion, used to manage in-band interference, is defined by the section 145 determination or a successor instrument (s 5). The section 145 determination relates to unacceptable levels of interference and the registration of radiocommunications devices, and it is referenced as a statutory mechanism for creating or enforcing emission limits and related conditions (s 7(2)(b)). The guideline therefore points users to instruments under the Act that will have direct enforcement effect.

The guideline also describes situations where the ACMA does not intend to act. For example, it "does not intend to afford protection from in-band interference to a 2 GHz receiver caused by a radiocommunications transmitter operated under an apparatus licence that was first issued under section 100 of the Act before 12 October 2017" (s 8(2)). It also "does not intend to act" in relation to in-band interference from class licence operations that comply with class licence conditions (s 8(5)). Those statements are expressions of regulatory intent and limit the ACMA’s prospective use of statutory enforcement discretion, but they do not themselves create legal immunity in other contexts.

For parties seeking to rely on the guideline in enforcement or dispute resolution, the operative question is how the guideline integrates with statutory powers. The guideline prescribes that licensees "must ensure" fixed transmitters meet the compatibility requirement where the specified fixed receiver conditions apply (s 13(1)). Where a licence condition, registration requirement or determination under the Act replicates or adopts that compatibility requirement, failure to comply would then be enforceable under the Act. The guideline therefore functions as a technical standard that the ACMA can reference when imposing or enforcing statutory licence conditions, but the instrument itself does not set out penalties.

Practically, enforcement will depend on whether ACMA translates the guideline’s metrics into licence core conditions, registration conditions or determinations under the Act. The guideline identifies the statutory levers by name and cross-reference (s 7(2)), but users should not assume automatic statutory penalty application without confirming the relevant core licence text or determination.

The guideline is expressly made under section 262 of the Radiocommunications Act 1992 (s 3) and repeatedly cross-references and relies upon other statutory instruments and sections of the Act. Its interaction with those provisions shapes both practical effect and enforcement.

Core licence conditions under section 66 of the Act are a primary point of interface. The guideline states that emission buffer zones may be created by specifying out-of-area and out-of-band emission limits in the core conditions of licences, which must be included in all spectrum licences (s 7(2)(a)). Core conditions are statutory licence terms and therefore have direct legal effect; the guideline supplies technical content and contextual justification that the ACMA can adopt when drafting or interpreting those core conditions.

The section 145 determination is also central. The guideline defines the device boundary criterion by reference to the section 145 determination, or any instrument that replaces it (s 5 definition of device boundary criterion), and it notes that the section 145 determination relates to unacceptable levels of interference and registration (s 7(2)(b)). That means the device boundary criterion may be a statutory determination with enforcement effect, and the guideline’s reliance on that external instrument places its operational detail partly outside the guideline text. Users must consult the section 145 determination to see the numerical device boundary criterion and any related registration requirements.

Section 69 of the Act is referenced in s 7(2)(b) as related to the section 145 determination and registration of devices. The guideline also relies on registration processes administered under the Act. Several eligibility and entitlement rules in the guideline are triggered by inclusion of details in the ACMA Register, and the guideline prescribes timing relationships between Register entries and the issue or registration of transmitters or apparatus licences (s 10). Registration and the obligations that attach can therefore be enforced under the Act’s registration powers and associated statutory provisions.

The guideline also positions itself alongside class licences and apparatus licences issued under section 100 of the Act. It distinguishes between apparatus licences first issued before 12 October 2017 and those first issued on or after that date, treating the latter as if they were spectrum licences for purposes of applying the device boundary criterion (s 8(2)-(3)). That temporal cut-off is a legal demarcation within the Act’s licencing architecture and can influence rights and expectations of existing licence-holders.

The guideline explicitly preserves private contracting. Section 7(6) states this instrument does not prevent persons negotiating and implementing other protection requirements with other persons. That interacts with common law contract principles and settlement processes; parties can agree different technical or commercial outcomes than the guideline prescribes, subject to statutory licence terms.

Finally, the instrument invokes the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 and the Legislation Act 2003 by reference in its section 6 notes, indicating that references to other legislative instruments are to be read as in force from time to time, and that standard interpretative provisions apply (s 6 and notes). The guideline is therefore to be read in the context of general Commonwealth legislative interpretation rules.

Users should therefore treat the guideline as a technical and procedural instrument operating in a statutory ecosystem: it informs and can be adopted into core licence conditions and determinations under the Act, interacts with registration and licence issue processes, draws boundaries with class licences and pre-existing apparatus licences, and preserves contractual freedom. Practical enforceability depends on how its standards are transposed into statutory licence language or determinations under the Act.

The instrument contains two explicit historical or amending facts. First, it repeals an earlier advisory guideline: the Radiocommunications Advisory Guidelines (Managing Interference to Spectrum Licensed Receivers - 2 GHz Band) 2016 [F2016L01711] are repealed by s 4. Second, it commences at the start of the day after registration on the Federal Register of Legislation (s 2), which fixes the operative date for the 2023 text.

Beyond those two items, the instrument operates by reference to other instruments and determinations that may change over time. Section 6 establishes that references to legislative instruments are to be read as references to those instruments "as in force from time to time" (s 6). The device boundary criterion is defined by reference to the section 145 determination or any instrument that replaces it (s 5). Consequently, the guideline’s operational detail can change indirectly when the section 145 determination is amended or replaced, or when core licence conditions under s 66 are revised. Scheduling amendments to those instruments will therefore alter the practical content of the guideline even if the guideline text itself remains unchanged.

The guideline also builds on an underlying statutory architecture that has its own amendment pathways. The Act provisions cited in the guideline, such as sections 66, 69, 100, 145 and 262, may themselves be amended at any time by Parliament or by the Governor-General on advice, and such amendments will change how the guideline interacts with licencing and enforcement. The guideline’s section 6 wording anticipates that by making its cross-references dynamic.

There is one temporal policy cut-off embedded in the text that functions like an amendment safeguard: apparatus licences issued before 12 October 2017 are treated differently to those issued on or after that date for in-band protection (s 8(2)-(3)). That date is both a hard rule within the instrument and a historical pivot point. It remains in the 2023 guideline and could be altered in a future revision.

In practical terms, the immediate amendment history within the instrument is minimal: repeal of the 2016 guidelines (s 4) and the adoption of the 2023 text with the commencement rule (s 2). The instrument’s future evolution will be driven mainly by changes to the section 145 determination, core licence conditions under s 66, registration practices under s 69, or by subsequent advisory guideline instruments issued under s 262.

The instrument itself does not record any litigation. It is an advisory guideline and contains no internal references to cases, judicial decisions, or precedents. The text mentions statutory instruments and provisions that are enforceable under the Act but does not cite or record any litigation about those instruments.

Because the guideline prescribes technical standards and links protection to registration timing and licence-issue dates, disputes about its application are likely to be resolved either by ACMA administrative action under the Act or by parties negotiating private arrangements under s 7(6). Where parties disagree with ACMA decisions that adopt the guideline’s standards into licence conditions or determinations, judicial review of administrative action or merits review mechanisms under the Act could be available in principle. The guideline does not address remedies, appeals, or litigation pathways.

Practically, foreseeably litigated issues would include interpretation and measurement of the technical thresholds set out in Schedule 1 and Schedule 2, whether a receiver meets the notional performance level for protection, whether a transmitter meets the compatibility requirement, and questions about the temporal sequencing of Register entries and licence issue dates that determine eligibility for protection (ss 10, 13). The instrument’s internal inconsistency concerning the reference from Schedule 1 to a wanted signal level in subitem 1(1) of Schedule 2 may itself be a point of dispute if it affects test conditions, as discussed in Gotchas.

The guideline places emphasis on administrative instruments , notably the section 145 determination and core licence conditions under s 66. Any litigation is therefore more likely to arise from ACMA’s use of statutory powers to impose conditions or determinations that adopt the guideline’s standards, rather than from the guideline text per se. The instrument, being an advisory guideline, does not itself create prosecutable obligations, but its mandatory phrasing in places may be relied upon where the ACMA embeds the standards into statutory licence terms. That pathway is the most plausible route to contested enforcement action.

Because the source document contains no litigation history, readers should consult ACMA decisions, determinations, and court or tribunal records to discover any later disputes involving the guideline’s implementation or its predecessor 2016 instrument.

This instrument contains a number of technical and procedural features that create non-obvious legal and operational consequences. These are high value for practitioners to know, because they affect entitlement to protection, test methods, negotiation leverage, and regulatory risk.

Timing of registration and licences. Protection depends critically on sequencing. For apparatus-licensed interference protection, the receiver must have been included in the Register before the apparatus licence was first issued under s 100 (s 10(1)). For spectrum-licensed transmitters, the receiver must have been included before the details of the relevant transmitter were included in the Register (s 10(2)). Practically, this means parties who install transmitters later face an obligation to meet the compatibility requirement where there are pre-existing registered receivers. It also means a party that fails to register a receiver in time may lose regulatory protection. The guideline places administrative weight on registry timing.

Treatment of apparatus licences around 12 October 2017. The guideline distinguishes apparatus licences issued before and after 12 October 2017. The ACMA does not intend to afford in-band protection from apparatus licences first issued before that date (s 8(2)). Apparatus licences first issued on or after that date are to be treated as if they were spectrum licences for in-band protection purposes, with the device boundary criterion applied (s 8(3)). This temporal cut-off may produce asymmetric obligations between older and newer apparatus licences.

Mobile receivers excluded. The compatibility requirement in Part 5 does not apply to mobile devices operated under 2 GHz spectrum licences (s 11). The transient nature of mobile reception is the stated reason. Practically, fixed infrastructure will receive the bulk of regulatory protection, while mobile services will rely on other mechanisms.

Internal cross-reference inconsistency. Schedule 1(3) states: "The wanted signal level to be used for testing purposes should be a level equivalent to that specified in subitem 1(1) of Schedule 2." Schedule 2 in the instrument contains the compatibility requirement but does not contain a subitem 1(1) that specifies a wanted signal level; it contains item 1(1) which gives the unwanted signal metric. This creates ambiguity about the wanted signal level for receiver testing. Practitioners should not assume the instrument provides the wanted level explicitly; they should consult ACMA guidance or the relevant test standards referenced in the Schedules (3GPP references in the Schedule notes) or seek clarification from ACMA.

Default antenna gain assumption. Schedule 1.5 states that if an antenna gain or feeder loss is not specified in the Register, use an antenna gain (including losses) of 18 dBi in all directions. That is a potentially conservative coordination assumption that may materially affect link budgets and interference assessments. Parties cannot assume zero or low antenna gain if Register entries are incomplete; they must either ensure accurate Register entries or allow for the default.

Measurement point and offsets. All receiver performance parameters are assessed at the antenna connector port and offsets are specified with reference to the upper and lower limits of the frequency bands of the licence under which the receiver operates (Schedule 1.1(2)). The guideline also clarifies the lower frequency number in a band is not included in the part of the spectrum (s 5(2)). Measurement practitioners must be precise about test reference frequencies to ensure compliance.

No universal emission-limit solution for near-site, out-of-band interference. The guideline explains that emission limits cannot practically protect receivers located near transmitters across frequency boundaries without excessive margin and severe spectrum utility loss (s 9(3)). Consequently, the instrument substitutes a compatibility requirement and receiver performance baseline. This produces a regime where local coordination and technical specification of receivers matter more than blanket emission limits.

Preservation of private contracting. Section 7(6) allows parties to negotiate other protection requirements. That means the guideline sets a regulatory floor and a possible default expectation for ACMA intervention, but does not preclude bespoke commercial arrangements.

Instrument vs statutory enforceability. The guideline contains mandatory language, for example "must ensure" in s 13(1), yet the instrument itself is an advisory guideline under s 262. Practical enforcement, including penalties, depends on whether ACMA embeds these requirements in core licence conditions, registration conditions, or determinations made under the Act (s 7(2)). Practitioners should therefore verify whether a compatibility requirement is present in operative licence text or a determination before reliance on enforcement remedies.

References to external determinations. The device boundary criterion and unacceptable interference measures are defined in or by reference to the section 145 determination. That means parties must consult that separate instrument for the numerical device boundary criterion and related registration rules. The guideline intentionally delegates some operational detail outside its own text.

Taken together, these gotchas identify areas where operational practice, registry accuracy, testing protocols, and the relation between advisory content and statutory instruments can materially affect rights and obligations.

Compliance with the guideline is both technical and administrative. The following steps translate the guideline’s requirements into practical action points for spectrum licensees, apparatus licensees, equipment vendors, and third-party coordinators. Each step ties back to the specific provisions in the instrument.

1. Audit licence types and dates. Identify whether your transmitter licences are apparatus licences, spectrum licences or class licences, and record the date an apparatus licence was first issued or when transmitter details were first entered in the Register (s 7(3)(a); s 8(2)-(3); s 10). That determines whether the device boundary criterion applies and whether pre-existing receivers are entitled to protection. For apparatus licences first issued before 12 October 2017, the ACMA does not intend to afford in-band protection from them (s 8(2)).

2. Check the Register sequence. Before planning a transmitter deployment, check the ACMA Register for any 2 GHz fixed receivers that were included before your transmitter details were recorded, or before your apparatus licence was first issued. If such receivers exist and meet the notional performance level, the compatibility requirement will apply and you must ensure your transmitter meets it (s 10; s 13(1)-(2)).

3. Confirm receiver eligibility. If you operate or support fixed receivers and want ACMA-recognised protection, ensure the receiver is included in the ACMA Register prior to the triggering transmitter registration or apparatus licence date (s 10). Ensure the receiver is fixed and not a mobile device, because mobile devices are excluded from the compatibility regime (s 11). Confirm the receiver meets the notional receiver performance level set out in Schedule 1 (s 12; Schedule 1).

4. Verify receiver performance at the antenna connector. For protection, test adjacent channel selectivity, intermodulation response rejection and receiver blocking at the antenna connector port, using frequency offsets referenced to the licence band edges (Schedule 1.1(2), Schedule 1.2-1.4). Use the specified minimum dB thresholds in the relevant Schedule tables. If the Register does not record antenna gain or feeder loss, use the default 18 dBi gain in all directions for coordination calculations (Schedule 1.5).

5. Resolve the wanted signal testing ambiguity. Schedule 1.3 references a wanted signal level in subitem 1(1) of Schedule 2, but Schedule 2 does not explicitly provide that wanted level. For testing, obtain ACMA clarification or use the appropriate 3GPP reference levels cited in the Schedules (3GPP TS 38.104 V17.8.0 references are given in the Schedule notes). Document and agree test assumptions with counterparties as part of coordination or negotiated protection arrangements (Schedule 1 notes; s 7(6)).

6. Ensure transmitter compliance with the compatibility requirement. If your fixed transmitter is required to protect a registered fixed receiver, ensure the emitted unwanted signal at the receiver antenna connector does not exceed −108 dBm/5 MHz more than 5% of the time in any one hour period, that is the unwanted signal level may be at or below −108 dBm/5 MHz for more than 95% of the time in any one hour period (Schedule 2.1(1)). Apply logarithmic scaling for other bandwidths as required (Schedule 2.1(2)). Perform coordination measurements using the same antenna connector reference and agreed feeder/antenna gains.

7. Include accurate Register entries. Record accurate antenna gain and feeder loss values in the Register to avoid default assumptions in coordination. Where defaults would work materially against you, correct the Register entry prior to deployment (Schedule 1.5).

8. Use device boundary criterion and emission limits where applicable. For in-band interference management, apply the device boundary criterion as defined by the section 145 determination (s 8(1); s 5 definition). For broad area out-of-band management use core licence emission limits under section 66, with the understanding that they may not protect near-site devices without compatibility-based measures (s 7(2)(a); s 9).

9. Negotiate private protection agreements where necessary. The guideline preserves the ability to negotiate other protection arrangements (s 7(6)). Where parties need bespoke protection, document technical and commercial terms, and ensure they do not conflict with statutory licence conditions. Use the guideline’s numeric standards as reference points in negotiations.

10. Monitor ACMA instruments and determinations. Because the device boundary criterion and some enforcement mechanisms depend on the section 145 determination and core licence conditions, monitor changes to those instruments and be prepared to adapt coordination or technical measures accordingly (s 5; s 7(2); s 6).

11. Keep records for dispute resolution. Retain test reports showing measurement methods, antenna and feeder values, time-stamped interference samples and register entries. These records will be important if ACMA translates the guideline into licence conditions or if parties pursue administrative or civil resolution.

12. Seek regulatory clarification where necessary. Where interpretive ambiguities exist, such as the wanted signal testing reference, seek ACMA guidance in advance of deployment. The guideline itself is an ACMA instrument and ACMA can clarify measurement methods and test conditions in practice.

Following these steps will position licence-holders and equipment operators to comply with the guideline’s technical rules, to assess obligations arising from Register timings, and to manage coordination at multi-operator sites. Compliance is both a technical exercise in measurement and a procedural exercise in record-keeping and registry management.