explanatory statement
Telecommunications Technical Standard (Customer Access Equipment for connection to a Telecommunications Network — AS/ACIF S003:2006) 2006
Issued by Authority of the Australian Communications and Media Authority
Telecommunications Act 1997
Legislative Provisions
This instrument is the Telecommunications Technical Standard (Customer Access Equipment for connection to a Telecommunications Network—AS/ACIF S003:2006) 2006 (the Technical Standard). The Technical Standard makes it mandatory for manufacturers and importers of customer equipment to comply with the Australian Standard / Australian Communications Industry Forum Standard — Customer Access Equipment for connection to a Telecommunications Network — AS/ACIF S003:2006.
Subsection 376 (1) of the Telecommunications Act 1997 (the Act) allows the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to make a technical standard relating to specified customer equipment (CE) and customer cabling (CC).
Background
The telecommunications regulatory arrangement for CE and CC requires each supplier to apply a compliance label to its product prior to supply to the market. Compliance is determined against technical standards made under section 376 of the Act and the Telecommunications Labelling (Customer Equipment and Customer Cabling) Notice 2001 made under section 407 of the Act specifies standards applicable to particular items of CE and CC.
A technical standard made under section 376 can only consist of such requirements as are necessary or convenient for:
- protecting the integrity of a telecommunications network or facility;
- protecting the health and safety of persons who are likely to be affected by the operation of the network or facility to which the equipment or cabling is connected;
- ensuring equipment can be used to give access to an emergency call service;
- ensuring interoperability of equipment with a network facility used to provided the standard telephone service; or
- achieving an objective specified in the regulations (no regulations have been made to date).
The Act provides that in making a technical standard, ACMA may apply, adopt or incorporate any matter contained in a standard proposed or approved by any other body or association. ACMA practice is to adopt in their entirety telecommunications technical standards developed by industry. This is consistent with the practice of the former Australian Communications Authority.
The Australian Communications Industry Forum (ACIF)[1] has accreditation as a standard making organisation from Standards Australia. ACMA currently has a Memorandum of Understanding with ACIF under which ACIF is responsible for the development and revision of industry telecommunications technical standards.
The Labelling Notice and the appropriate section 376 technical standards are the major components of the telecommunications regulatory arrangements and help to ensure the integrity, safety and continued availability of telecommunications networks within Australia.
Intended Impact and Effect
This Technical Standard prescribes technical requirements for Customer Access Equipment (CAE) and is a revision of Telecommunications Technical Standard (Customer Access Equipment for Connection to a Telecommunications Network—AS/ACIF S003:2005) 2005 (the old standard).
CAE is a type of CE that provides access (gateway functions) to a telecommunications network and is capable of switching, storage, multiplexing or providing any of several other specified functions relating to voice or voice equivalent communication. Examples of this type of equipment include key phone systems, PABXs, voice/packet gateways and analogue telephone adapters.
The new standard applies to any scoped equipment that could be used to provide multi-line or gateway functions for connecting to the Australian Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
The new standard is required as the old standard is outdated. The old standard does not address digital packet switched technologies such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) having been written around traditional voice technologies.
The new standard will supersede the old standard at the expiration of a twenty four month overlap period commencing from the time the amendment to the Labelling Notice is registered. During the overlap period both the old and new standards are in force and a supplier may choose to declare compliance against either.
Consultation
The Office of Regulation Review (ORR) has advised that the making of the Technical Standard does not impose a substantial additional regulatory burden on manufacturers, importers and retailers of CE and accordingly a Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) is not required. The ORR RIS exception ID number is 8756.
Section 378 of the Act requires ACMA to ensure, so far as practicable, that interested persons have an opportunity to comment on a proposed technical standard and that due consideration be given to any comments before ACMA makes the standard. AS/ACIF S003:2006 was prepared by ACIF Customer Equipment and Cable Reference Panel: Telephony Speech Performance Working Committee 17, which comprised industry representatives including carriers, carriage service providers, equipment manufacturers and importers, test houses, consultants and independent members.
A draft of AS/ACIF S003:2006 was made available for public comment for a period of 80 days, from 08 November 2005 to 27 January 2006, which is sufficient for the purposes of section 378 of the Act. The draft AS/ACIF S003:2006 was promoted via an advertisement in a national newspaper, an electronic mail discussion list on telecommunications policy matters and directly to government, industry and consumer organisations. In addition, the draft AS/ACIF S003:2006 was available for free download from the ACIF website and copies of the standard were mailed to enquirers. Seven sets of public comments were received by ACIF. All comments were minor in nature and addressed or resolved satisfactorily.
Other Documents Incorporated in this Instrument by Reference
The Technical Standard incorporates the Australian Standard/Australian Communications Industry Forum Standard: Customer Access Equipment for connection to a Telecommunications Network—AS/ACIF S003:2006 by making reference to it in the Definitions and requiring the customer equipment to which the Technical Standard applies to comply with it. AS/ACIF S003:2006 is available from the ACIF website at www.acif.org.au.
The Telecommunications Labelling (Customer Equipment and Customer Cabling) Notice 2001 is available from the ACMA website at www.acma.gov.au.
Detailed Description of the Standard Instrument
Details of the Standard Instrument are in Attachment 1.
ATTACHMENT 1
Notes on the instrument
Section 1 Name of Technical Standard
Section 1 provides the name of the Technical Standard as Telecommunications Technical Standard (Customer Access Equipment for connection to a Telecommunications Network—AS/ACIF S003:2006) 2006.
This section also provides for the technical standard to be cited as AS/ACIF S003-2006. As indicated in Note 1, AS/ACIF S003-2006 is the name usually used when referring to the Technical Standard.
Note 2, read in conjunction with the definition of AS/ACIF Standard given in section 4, explains that the Technical Standard adopts the May 2006 version of AS/ACIF S003:2006 and does not include any subsequent amendments.
Section 2 Commencement
This section provides that the technical standard commences on the day after it is registered.
Section 3 Objects of Technical Standard
This section sets out the broad objects of the Technical Standard. These objects are consistent with matters that may be incorporated into a standard as provided by subsection 376(2) of the Act.
Section 4 Definitions
This section provides definitions for the instrument. It defines “AS/ACIF standard” as the Standards Australia/Australian Communications Industry Forum Standard – Customer Access Equipment for connection to a Telecommunications Network - AS/ACIF S003:2006 published in May 2006.
This section also provides definitions for ‘Act’; ‘facility’; and ‘telecommunications network’.
Section 5 Application of Technical Standard
This section identifies the scope of the standard. It applies to customer equipment that is designed with multiple ports and provides network access (gateway functions) including switching of voice communication.
Section 6 Standard for customer equipment
This section provides that customer equipment referred to in section 5 must comply with the standard AS/ACIF S003:2006 as published in May 2006.
[1] ACIF is an industry owned, operated and resourced company established in 1997 by the telecommunications industry to implement and manage communications self-regulation within Australia. Its primary role is to develop and administer technical Standards and Industry Codes and provide Industry Facilitation services that promote both the long-term interests of end-users and the efficiency and international competitiveness of the Australian communications industry. ACIF has recently changed its name to Communications Alliance following a merger with SPAN. For the purposes of technical standards submitted for mandatory adoption, all correspondence will continue to come from ACIF.