Business Update - February 2022

In this issue:

Update to Statements of Government Policy and Directions
Consultation on the Draft Five Year Spectrum Outlook 2022-2026
Gearing up to upgrade the Register of Radio Frequencies
Expiry of the General User Licence for 22 – 26 GHz Vehicular Radar
Lifting the RSM compliance team

Update to Statements of Government Policy and Directions

The Minister for the Digital Economy and Communications can issue Statements of Government Policy and Directions to guide the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) in administering radio spectrum in New Zealand.

In this respect the Minister presented in parliament on 14 December 2021 an updated Notice of Statement of Government Policy and Directions to the Chief Executive of MBIE. The updated notice includes, amongst other matters, an updated list of agencies that MBIE should seek advice from and a new list of reserved frequencies which may not be assigned on a long term basis, other than in special circumstances.

For more information read the Statements of Government Policy and Directions

Consultation on the Draft Five Year Spectrum Outlook 2022-2026 - closing 28 February

In December 2021 RSM released the Draft Five-Year Spectrum Outlook 2022-2026 (the Draft Outlook) for public consultation.

This document sets out RSM’s thoughts on the main technology and spectrum management trends over the next 5 years and the implications for spectrum management in Aotearoa New Zealand.

It also highlights work programme priorities and indicates that the top 2 priorities are:

enabling the nationwide roll-out of 5G services,
and working towards an enduring agreement between Māori and the Crown on spectrum interests.

Have your say

We are seeking your feedback on the Draft Outlook. Please see the Draft Five-Year Spectrum Outlook 2022-2026 for details on how to provide feedback.

Draft Five-Year Spectrum Outlook

The consultation closes 28 February 2022.

Gearing up to upgrade the Register of Radio Frequencies

The project team working on upgrading the Register for Radio Frequencies (RRF) are gearing up to deliver an upgraded RRF in 2022.

Upgrading the RRF was the perfect opportunity to consider introducing other functionality that would enhance the usability and benefits of the system. The new RRF system will have the same functionality as the SMART system, along with some new features like integration with geographical maps, compatibility with desktops, tablets, and mobile devices, as well as single sign on.

External working group

We’re excited to be kicking off the New Year by meeting with the RRF User Experience working group. This group was established to help us test some of our latest developments and get feedback on specific elements. The working group will also be our sounding board to ensure we’re making the right decisions for you.

What support will be available?

Getting used to a new system can be frustrating. To help you get the most out of the new RRF system we will be running open training sessions before the system goes live. These sessions will be facilitated by our experienced radio engineers and will be available across the country.

More details about these training sessions and how you can sign up will be made available in the coming months.

New guidance materials will also be made available online and of course our team is always available to assist.

In the meantime, if you haven’t already, we recommend that you check your contact details, including all email addresses are correct and up to date. This will help us to keep you in the loop with project updates.

If you would like to know more about the new Register of Radio Frequencies (RRF) system, you can contact the team at RRF@mbie.govt.nz

Expiry of the General User Licence for 22 – 26 GHz Vehicular Radar

RSM notes the expiry of the 2017 General User Radio Licence (GURL) for Vehicular Radar Short Range Devices, which expired on 1 January 2022. This short term GURL was to permit the sunset of a small number of broadband radar systems used on some European vehicles.

Previous users of this GURL are reminded that transmissions are now prohibited, and this includes the supply and installation of spare parts to permit operation of broadband vehicular radars in the 22.000 GHz to 26.625 GHz band.

A copy of the now expired licence can be found here:

Radiocommunications Regulations Notice 2017 – gazette.govt.nz

Lifting the RSM compliance team

Recently our Radio Investigator in Dunedin assisted with locating an interference source which proved to be challenging. The high altitude of the affected site resulted in a potential search area of over 100km². The only clue was that the interference was on from 8am – 5pm Monday to Friday.

The weather and snow limited the access to site which made getting a bearing on the interference difficult.

The decision was made to enlist the use of a helicopter. Our Radio Investigator and a Technician were flown over the coverage area where they had the advantage of having a direct line of sight

Within an hour of the flight, the RSM Investigator was able to locate the interference to a quarry 40 km from the affected site. A cellular repeater was identified as the culprit which was oscillating and causing the interference. This work resolved 4 months of disruption for the licence holder and many of its customers.