EXPLANTORY STATEMENT
Issued by the Australian Communications and Media Authority
Telecommunications Act 1997
Telecommunications Technical Standard (Requirements for Customer Access Equipment connection to a Telecommunications Network Standard – Part 2: Analogue and TDM based technologies – AS/CA S003.2:2010) 2010
Purpose
A new industry telecommunications standard, in three parts, has been developed by Communications Alliance[1] (CA). The three parts are:
- AS/CA S003.1:2010 Requirements for Customer Access Equipment connection to a Telecommunications Network – Part 1: General (Part 1 of the CA 2010 Standard);
- AS/CA S003.2:2010 Requirements for Customer Access Equipment for connection to a Telecommunications Network – Part 2: Analogue and TDM based technologies (Part 2 of the CA 2010 Standard);
- AS/CA S003.3:2010 Requirements for Customer Access Equipment for connection to a Telecommunications Network – Part 3: Packet and cell based technologies (Part 3 of the CA 2010 Standard),
(collectively the CA 2010 Standard).
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (the ACMA) will make three corresponding standards that incorporate each part of the CA 2010 Standard prescribing the technical requirements and test methods for Customer Access Equipment in order to meet the regulatory arrangements for such equipment in Australia. The three corresponding standards are:
- Telecommunications Technical Standard (Requirements for Customer Access Equipment connection to a Telecommunications Network – Part 1: General – AS/CA S003.1:2010) 2010 (Part 1 of the ACMA 2010 Standard);
- Telecommunications Technical Standard (Requirements for Customer Access Equipment connection to a Telecommunications Network – Part 2: Analogue and TDM based technologies – AS/CA S003.2:2010) 2010 (Part 2 of the ACMA 2010 Standard); and
- Telecommunications Technical Standard (Requirements for Customer Access Equipment connection to a Telecommunications Network – Part 3: Packet and cell based technologies – AS/CA S003.3:2010) 2010 (Part 3 of the ACMA 2010 Standard)
(collectively the ACMA 2010 Standard).
The purpose of Part 2 of the ACMA 2010 Standard is to mandate Part 2 of the CA 2010 Standard in relation to specified Customer Equipment (CE).The CA 2010 Standard specifies the technical requirements and test methods for CE, specifically CAE, which provides access (gateway functions) to a Telecommunications Network.
The CA 2010 Standard is a revision of industry telecommunications technical standards AS/ACIF S003:2005 Customer Access Equipment for connection to a Telecommunications Network (the CA 2005 Standard) and AS/ACIF S003:2008 Customer Access Equipment for connection to a Telecommunications Network (the CA 2008 Standard).
The CA 2010 Standard separates the requirements for CAE into common and technology specific parts to facilitate compliance of CAE that use analogue / Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) based technologies, packet / cell based technologies, or both.
The objective of Part 2 of the CA 2010 Standard is to provide requirements for CAE specifically employing analogue and PCM - based TDM (Pulse Code Modulation - based Time Division Multiplexing) transport technologies.
Legislative Provisions
This instrument is made under subsection 376(1) of the Telecommunications Act 1997 (the Act). Subsection 376(1) allows the ACMA to make a technical standard relating to specified CE and Customer Cabling (CC). Part 2 of the ACMA 2010 Standard relates to such specified CE.
Background
The telecommunications regulatory arrangements for CE and CC require 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 which are referred to in the Telecommunications Labelling (Customer Equipment and Customer Cabling) Notice 2001 (the TLN).
The TLN makes it mandatory for a supplier of CE to comply with the ACMA 2010 Standard.
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 provide the standard telephone service; or
- achieving an objective specified in the regulations (no regulations have been made to date).
The Act provides at section 377 that in making a technical standard, the ACMA may apply, adopt or incorporate any matter contained in a standard proposed or approved by any other body or association. The ACMA’s practice is to review, and where appropriate adopt, in their entirety, industry telecommunications technical standards developed by CA.
CA has accreditation as a Standard Development Organisation from Standards Australia. The ACMA currently has a Memorandum of Understanding with CA under which CA is responsible for the development and revision of industry telecommunications technical standards.
The industry telecommunications technical standard adopted in Part 2 of the ACMA Standard is Part 2 of the CA 2010 Standard. It is one of three inter-related parts of the CA 2010 Standard arising out of a revision of the existing CA 2005 Standard and CA 2008 Standard.
The objective of the revision is to separate the requirements for CAE into general and technology specific parts to facilitate compliance of CAE that use analogue / TDM based technologies, packet / cell based technologies, or both.
The provision of a preferred transmission loss plan and an alternative transmission loss plan within Part 2 of the CA 2010 Standard facilitates compliance of:
- modified CAE that previously complied with the requirements for the CA 2005 Standard; and
- new CAE that employs analogue and/or PCM-based TDM transport technologies.
Operation
The ACMA 2010 Standard gives effect to the CA 2010 Standard and through its inclusion in the TLN, Part 1 of the ACMA 2010 Standard and Part 2 of the ACMA 2010 Standard will replace the existing Telecommunications Technical Standard (Customer Access Equipment for connection to a Telecommunications Network – AS/ACIF S003:2005) 2005 (the ACMA 2005 Standard) following an overlap period of 12 months. The ACMA 2005 Standard adopts the CA 2005 Standard.
Likewise Part 1 of the ACMA 2010 Standard and Part 3 of the ACMA 2010 Standard will replace the existing Telecommunications Technical Standard (Customer Access Equipment for connection to a Telecommunications Network – AS/ACIF S003:2008) 2008 (the ACMA 2008 Standard) following an overlap period of 12 months. The ACMA 2008 Standard adopts the CA 2008 Standard.
During the overlap period the ACMA 2010 Standard, the ACMA 2005 Standard and ACMA 2008 Standard will remain in force and a supplier may choose to declare compliance against the applicable technical standard for the specific technology employed.
After the overlap period is concluded, the ACMA 2005 Standard and ACMA 2008 Standard will expire and a supplier will be required to declare compliance for new CE with the ACMA 2010 Standard.
The principal differences between Part 2 of the CA 2010 Standard and the CA 2005 Standard and the CA 2008 Standard are the following:
a) The transmission requirements that are specific to analogue and/or PCM-based TDM technologies that were previously found in the CA 2005 Standard have been included.
b) A preferred +3/-9dbr transmission loss plan and an alternate 0/-6dbr transmission loss plan have been included to assist compliance when CE complying with an earlier standard is being modified or upgraded.
c) Figures for ‘Attenuation/Frequency distortion’, ‘Variation of gain with level’ and ‘Signal to total distortion limits’ masks have been relaxed from the ES 021 168 figures.
Consultation
Section 378 of the Act requires the ACMA to ensure, so far as practicable, that interested persons have an adequate opportunity to make representations on a proposed technical standard and that due consideration be given to any representation before the ACMA makes the standard.
The CA 2010 Standard was developed by the CA CAE Revision Working Committee, (CA WC20). CA WC20 was established to carry out a targeted revision of the CA 2005 Standard to include the new Very High Speed Digital Subscriber Line 2 Power Spectral Density mask requirements for broadband wire-line services and to separate the content of the CA 2005 Standard and the CA 2008 Standard into separate parts as appropriate based on the proposed changes prepared by the CA Customer Equipment and Cable Reference Panel (CECRP) Working Group WG28.
The CA 2010 Standard is a revision of the CA 2008 Standard and the CA 2005 Standard for CAE. This technical standard is the result of a consensus among representatives on CA WC20 to produce it as an Australian Standard. The designation of this standard has been changed from AS/ACIF to AS/CA to reflect that the standard has been published by CA as an accredited Standards Development Organisation.
A draft of the CA 2010 Standard was issued for public comment for 63 days from 4 August – 6 October 2009, in compliance with the requirements for consultation under section 378 of the Act. Copies of the draft of the CA 2010 Standard were issued to CA members, CA CECRP members and CA WC20 members.
A draft of the CA 2010 Standard was promoted through CA newsletter We Communicate, The Australian newspaper and Standards Australia publications. A copy of the draft of the CA 2010 Standard was available on the CA website during the above period. An electronic copy was downloadable free of change. Copies were also made available to interested parties who contacted CA.
During the consultation period, eight sets of public comments were received and considered by CA, none of which were adverse.
The content of the CA 2010 Standard was approved by the CA WC20 through the project ballot process. On 8 December 2009 the CA Board approved the publication of the CA 2010 Standard and the submission of the CA 2010 Standard for making under section 376 of the Act.
As appropriate consultation was conducted by CA on Part 2 of the CA 2010 Standard which will be adopted by Part 2 of the the ACMA 2010 Standard, the ACMA is satisfied, pursuant to subsection 18(2) of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003, that further consultation on Part 2 of the ACMA 2010 Standard is unnecessary.
Regulation Impact
The Office of Best Practice Regulation has considered the matter and formed an opinion that Part 2 of the ACMA 2010 Standard will have minor and machinery impact and does not impose any substantial additional regulatory burden on manufacturers or importers of CE, or the economy. The OBPR RIS exemption number is ID 11775.
Documents Incorporated in this Instrument by Reference
Part 2 of the ACMA 2010 Standard incorporates Part 2 of the CA 2010 Standard by reference. Part 2 of the CA 2010 Standard is available from the CA website at:
http://www.commsalliance.com.au/Documents/Technical-CE
Detailed Description of the Instrument
Details of Part 2 of the ACMA 2010 Standard are in Attachment A.
ATTACHMENT A
Notes on Sections
Section 1 Name of Technical Standard
This section identifies the name of the Technical Standard as Telecommunications Technical Standard (Requirements for Customer Access Equipment for connection to a Telecommunications Network – Part 2: Analogue and TDM based technologies – AS/CA S003.2:2010) 2010.
This section also notes that Part 2 of the ACMA 2010 Standard may also be cited as AS/CA S003.2-2010. The alternative citation is the name by which Part 2 of the ACMA 2010 Standard is usually cited by the ACMA. The citation of Part 2 of the ACMA Standard differs from the citation of Part 2 of the CA 2010 Standard in that there is a dash before the year in which it was made, rather than a colon.
Section 2 Commencement
This section provides for the technical standard to commence on the day after it is registered.
Section 3 Definitions
This section provides definitions for the instrument. It includes definitions for Customer Access Equipment (CAE), mandatory requirement and port which are not defined in the Act.
Section 4 Objects of Technical Standard
This section sets out the 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 Telecommunications Act 1997.
Section 5 Application
This section identifies the scope of the application of the technical standard. It applies to CAE that employs analogue and/or PCM - based TDM transport technologies, but does not employ packet or cell based transport technologies, to carry voice communications.
Section 6 Requirement
This section provides that CAE referred to in section 5 must comply with the mandatory requirements of Part 2 of the CA 2010 Standard as published by Communications Alliance in September 2010. Part 2 of the CA 2010 Standard, as adopted by Part 2 of the ACMA 2010 Standard, does not include any amendments made after the commencement of Part 2 of the ACMA 2010l Standard. If amendments are made, the terms of Part 2 of the ACMA 2010 Standard will differ from those of Part 2 of the CA 2010 Standard unless the amendments are adopted by the ACMA.
[1] Communications Alliance (formerly ACIF) is an industry owned, operated and resourced company established in 1997 by the telecommunications industry to implement and manage self-regulation within Australia. Communications Alliance provides a neutral forum in which all participants and end-users in the Australian communications industry can work together to foster an efficient and competitive industry through self-regulatory processes, technical standards and codes.