On 4/5/07, Dan Clark
The government has opened the 5.47 – 5.725 GHz and 57 - 64 GHz radio frequency bands as 'public park' spectrum for broadband wireless services suitable for expanding wireless local area networks (Wi-Fi) and to extend the reach of existing fibre optic networks. Access to 'public park' spectrum does not attract a licence fee. Previously licensed users in the bands should be able to continue to operate without being unduly impacted.
The General User Radio Licence contains conditions to ensure that broadband wireless equipment operating in the 5.47 – 5.725 GHz band does not cause interference to existing radar operations that share this band. Access to the 5.47 – 5.725 GHz band augments access to the 2.4 GHz and 5.8GHz bands and more than doubles the spectrum that is now exclusively available for wireless local area networks.
The full details have been amended to the GURL page at the RSM website: http://www.rsm.govt.nz/licensing/gurls/gurl-srd.html : * *Note 6:In the band 5470-5725 MHz the maximum transmitter power is 250 mW with a maximum permitted mean power of 1 watt e.i.r.p. and a maximum permitted mean power density of 50 mW/MHz e.i.r.p., provided Dynamic Frequency Selection and Transmitter Power Control are implemented. If transmitter power control is not in use, then the maximum permitted mean power shall be reduced by 3 dB. This is great news for all our WISPs wanting to deploy more low power micro-pops around the place and avoid stomping on their own existing 5.3/5.8Ghz channels. As 5.4Ghz has just been given the go ahead by the FCC in the US, there will be FCC compliant equipment becoming available very soon! Hopefully the new generation of equipment will allow our WISPs to keep leap-frogging ADSL in delivering faster, better broadband out to the masses :) Cheers, Blair