Telecommunications Technical Standard (Surge Protective Devices for Telecommunication Applications As/NZS 4117:1999) 2003 (Cth)

Telecommunications Technical Standard (Surge Protective Devices for Telecommunication Applications — AS/NZS 4117:1999) 2003

The AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AUTHORITY makes this Technical Standard under subsection 376 (1) of the Telecommunications Act 1997.

Dated 12 November 2003

R HORTON
Chair

A HORSLEY
Deputy Chair

Australian Communications Authority

Contents

1Name of Technical Standard  2

2Commencement  2

3Objects of Technical Standard  2

4Definitions  2

5Application of Technical Standard  3

6Standard with which customer equipment must comply  3

1. Name of Technical Standard

(1)This Technical Standard is the Telecommunications Technical Standard (Surge Protective Devices for Telecommunication Applications — AS/NZS 4117:1999) 2003.

(2)This Technical Standard may also be cited as AS/NZS 4117-1999.

Note 1   The alternate citation mentioned in subsection (2) is the name by which the AS/NZS Standard, adopted by this Technical Standard under section 6, is usually cited.  The AS/NZS Standard was published in 1999.

Note 2   The AS/NZS Standard, as adopted by this Technical Standard, does not include any amendments that may subsequently be made by Standards Australia and Standards New Zealand.  If such amendments are made, there will be a difference between the terms of this instrument and those of the AS/NZS instrument of that name until such time as the AS/NZS Standard amendments are adopted by the ACA.

1. Commencement

This Technical Standard commences on gazettal.

1. Objects of Technical Standard

The objects of this Technical Standard are:

(a)to protect the integrity of telecommunications networks and facilities; and

(b)to protect the health and safety of persons who:

(i)operate; or

(ii)work on; or

(iii)use services supplied by means of; or

(iv)are otherwise reasonably likely to be affected by the operation of;

a telecommunications network or facility; and

(c)to ensure that customer equipment can be used to give access to an emergency call service; and

(d)to ensure, for the purpose of the supply of a standard telephone service, the interoperability of customer equipment with a telecommunications network to which the equipment is, or is proposed to be, connected.

1. Definitions

In this Technical Standard:

Act means the Telecommunications Act 1997.

AS/NZS Standard means the Australian Standard/New Zealand Standard: Surge protective devices for telecommunication applications (AS/NZS 4117:1999), published by Standards Australia International Limited in November 1999.

multi-terminal device means a device with at least 2 terminals.

protective earth system means the earthing system, installed in accordance with the requirements of AS/NZS 3000:2000, Electrical installations (known as the Australian/New Zealand Wiring Rules), that provides a connection to the general mass of earth to ensure the electrical isolation of any defective equipment from mains voltages through the operation of protective apparatus.

surge protective device means customer equipment that is a multi-terminal device consisting of single or multiple components which, within its operating range, limits the voltage present on its output terminals when a preset voltage is exceeded on its input terminals.

Note 1   Emergency call service and standard telephone service are defined in section 7 of the Act. Telecommunications network is defined in subsection 374 (1) of the Act. Facility is defined in subsection 374 (2) of the Act.

Note 2   Customer equipment is defined in section 7 of the Act to have the meaning given by section 21 of the Act. Subsection 21 (1) of the Act provides that customer equipment means:

(a)any equipment, apparatus, tower, mast, antenna or other structure or thing; or

(b)any system (whether software-based or otherwise);

that:

(c)is used, installed ready for use or intended for use in connection with a carriage service; and

(d)under the regulations, is treated as customer equipment;

but does not include a line.

Subsection 21 (4) of the Act provides that if no regulations are in force for the purposes of subsection 21 (1), customer equipment has the meaning set out in subsection 21 (4). At the commencement of this Technical Standard, no regulations are in force for the purposes of subsection 21 (1) of the Act.

1. Application of Technical Standard

This Technical Standard applies to individual stand-alone surge protective devices that are:

(a)used for the suppression of indirect effects of lightning or other transient overvoltages; and

(b)intended to be connected:

(i)from one telecommunications conductor to another; or

(ii)from a telecommunications conductor to the protective earth system.

1. Standard with which customer equipment must comply

The customer equipment to which this Technical Standard applies must comply with the AS/NZS Standard.