Welcome to the Australian Communications and Media Authority's website. If you are utilising a screen reader, please read our accessibility information page for details as to how to gain access to content on our site in other formats.
Australian Government - Australian Communications and Media Authority

Mobile phone base station deployment

Contacts

Mobile phone base station deployment industry code

The ACMA registered Industry Code C564:2011 Mobile phone base station deployment on 1 July 2011.

The code was developed by the Communications Alliance Ltd, the peak telecommunications industry body responsible for code development, as well as representatives of carriers, the community and local government.

The code outlines carriers' rights and responsibilities in the design, installation and operation of radiocommunications infrastructure. The aim of the code is to ensure that communities and local councils are informed about infrastructure such as mobile phone towers being placed in their area. The code also requires carriers to provide information to the public on request about the radiofrequency characteristics of sites.

The code is on the ACMA website or on the Communications Alliance website.

The code is registered under section 136 of the Telecommunications Act 1997. A list of all codes registered by the ACMA is on the ACMA website.

More information about industry codes is on the ACMA website.

New code registered

The Industry Code C564:2011 Mobile phone base station deployment was registered on 1 July 2012 and replaces Industry Code ACIF C564:2004 Deployment of Mobile Phon Network Infrastructure (the previous code), which was registered by the former ACA on 7 April 2005.

Communications Alliance undertook a periodic review in 2011 of the previous code (Deployment of Mobile Phone Network Infrastructure). Communications Alliance formed a working group of representatives of mobile carriers and community groups to review the code. The review focussed primarily on consultation for new mobile phone base station sites.

A new code titled Mobile Phone Base Station Deployment was released for public consultation in August 2011. Communications Alliance made application in February 2012 to have the new code registered by the ACMA under Part 6 of the Telecommunications Act 1997.

The new code contains a number of enhancements, including:

  • encouraging an improved collaborative approach between carriers, local councils and the community
  • early identification of community-sensitive locations
  • improving understanding of consultation requirements by simplifying readability and the code’s structure
  • providing a toolkit for carriers and their agents as part of the consultation process to maintain consistency in their approach
  • greater accessibility of information about new base stations through a ‘community consultation web portal.’

The new code is scheduled for a periodic review in 2017..

Information on the code

Mobile carriers forum

The Mobile Carriers Forum (MCF) represents the three mobile phone carriers-Telstra, Optus and Vodafone Hutchison Australia. The MCF brings carriers together at state and national levels to coordinate industry action relating to the deployment and operation of mobile phone networks. The MCF is a division of the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA), the peak industry body for the mobile telecommunications industry. More information about the code and the MCF is available on the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association website at: www.amta.org.au

Information for local government

If you are in local government and would like to provide the ACMA with feedback on issues arising from the implementation of the code, please email the ACMA's Technical and Regulation Development Section at comply.label@acma.gov.au.

Further information

For more information about the Deployment of Mobile Phone Network Infrastructure industry code, contact the ACMA's Radiocommunications Licensing and Telecommunications Deployment Section at lais@acma.gov.au.

 

Last update: 25 July 2012 16:32