Telecommunications Technical Standard (Requirements for Customer Equipment for connection to a metallic local loop interface of a Telecommunications Network - Part 1: General - AS/ACIF S043.1:2003) 2003

Administered by Department of Communications and the Arts

Legislation au F2005B00180 Not in force Legislative Instrument

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Telecommunications Technical Standard (Requirements for Customer Equipment for connection to a metallic local loop interface of a Telecommunications Network — Part 1: General — AS/ACIF S043.1:2003) 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

 1 Name of Technical Standard 

 2 Commencement 

 3 Objects of Technical Standard 

 4 Definitions 

 5 Application of Technical Standard 

 6 Standard with which customer equipment must comply 

 

 

 

1 Name of Technical Standard

 (1) This Technical Standard is the Telecommunications Technical Standard (Requirements for Customer Equipment for connection to a metallic local loop interface of a Telecommunications Network — Part 1: General — AS/ACIF S043.1:2003) 2003.

 (2) This Technical Standard may also be cited as AS/ACIF S043.1-2003.

Note 1   The alternate citation mentioned in subsection (2) is the name by which the AS/ACIF Standard, adopted by this Technical Standard under section 6, is usually cited. The AS/ACIF Standard was published in 2003.

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

2 Commencement

  This Technical Standard commences on gazettal.

3 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.

4 Definitions

  In this Technical Standard:

Act means the Telecommunications Act 1997.

AS/ACIF Standard means the Australian Standard/Australian Communications Industry Forum Standard: Requirements for Customer Equipment for connection to a metallic local loop interface of a Telecommunications Network — Part 1: General (AS/ACIF S043.1:2003), published by the Australian Communications Industry Forum and Standards Australia International Limited in April 2003.

metallic local loop means metallic twisted pair communications wire in a carrier’s telecommunications network which provides connectivity between a customer’s premises and equipment in the telecommunications network.

metallic local loop interface means an interface for the electrical connection to a metallic local loop.

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.

5 Application of Technical Standard

  This Technical Standard applies to customer equipment that is designed, or intended, for connection to a telecommunications network via a metallic local loop interface.

6 Standard with which customer equipment must comply

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

 

Overview

The Telecommunications Technical Standard (Requirements for Customer Equipment for connection to a metallic local loop interface of a Telecommunications Network — Part 1: General — AS/ACIF S043.1:2003) 2003 was introduced to address the need for technical standards that ensure the compatibility and safety of customer equipment when connected to telecommunications networks. Enacted by the Australian Communications Authority under subsection 376(1) of the Telecommunications Act 1997, this legislation aims to protect the integrity of telecommunications networks, ensure the health and safety of individuals interacting with these networks, and maintain the functionality of emergency call services. The overarching objective is to standardise the requirements for customer equipment to maintain interoperability and reliability within the telecommunications infrastructure.

Scope and Application

The Telecommunications Technical Standard (Requirements for Customer Equipment for connection to a metallic local loop interface of a Telecommunications Network — Part 1: General — AS/ACIF S043.1:2003) 2003, issued under the Telecommunications Act 1997, applies to all customer equipment designed or intended for connection to a telecommunications network via a metallic local loop interface. The Standard is designed to ensure that such equipment meets specific technical requirements to protect the integrity of telecommunications networks, safeguard the health and safety of individuals interacting with these networks, and ensure interoperability with the network to provide standard telephone services and access to emergency call services. This Standard applies nationally across Australia, encompassing all telecommunications networks and their associated customer equipment. It does not explicitly exclude any particular entities or types of equipment, but rather sets out the compliance criteria that must be met by all relevant equipment. The Standard is supplemented by the Australian Standard/Australian Communications Industry Forum Standard (AS/ACIF S043.1:2003), which the equipment must adhere to, although it is noted that any subsequent amendments to this Standard by Standards Australia and the Australian Communications Industry Forum are not automatically incorporated into this Technical Standard unless formally adopted by the Australian Communications Authority.

Key Provisions

This Technical Standard (Requirements for Customer Equipment for connection to a metallic local loop interface of a Telecommunications Network — Part 1: General — AS/ACIF S043.1:2003) 2003, issued by the Australian Communications Authority (ACA), mandates that any customer equipment designed or intended for connection to a telecommunications network via a metallic local loop interface must comply with the Australian Standard/Australian Communications Industry Forum Standard (AS/ACIF S043.1:2003). This requirement is outlined in section 6 of the Technical Standard. The objective is to ensure that customer equipment meets specific technical requirements to protect the integrity of telecommunications networks, safeguard the health and safety of individuals who interact with these networks, and ensure the interoperability of customer equipment with telecommunications networks to provide a standard telephone service and access to emergency call services. This standard applies to any equipment intended for connection to a telecommunications network via a metallic local loop interface, as detailed in section 5. Entities and individuals subject to this Technical Standard are required to ensure that any customer equipment they design, manufacture, or intend to use for connection to a telecommunications network adheres to the technical specifications outlined in the AS/ACIF Standard. This encompasses all equipment that falls under the definition of customer equipment, as provided in section 21 of the Telecommunications Act 1997. The equipment must be designed and manufactured in such a way that it does not compromise the safety and integrity of telecommunications networks, and must be capable of providing access to emergency call services and interoperability with the network to offer standard telephone services. Compliance with this standard is crucial for the protection of telecommunications infrastructure and the users of these services. Failure to comply with the requirements set forth in this Technical Standard may result in legal consequences. While specific penalties are not detailed in the Technical Standard itself, violations of telecommunications regulations generally can lead to enforcement actions by the ACA, including fines and other administrative penalties. The severity of penalties can vary depending on the nature and extent of the non-compliance. It is essential for entities and individuals to ensure strict adherence to the technical standards to avoid potential legal repercussions and to maintain the safety and functionality of telecommunications networks.

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