Response to Productivity Commission – May 2015.

This response has been prepared by the Australian Radio Communications Industry Association (ARCIA) Inc., a body representing the interests of the Land Mobile Radio (LMR) industry and with a mission to work to improve the effectiveness of the industry and to support management of the spectrum for the benefit of all.

Over recent years, this Association has been accepted into working groups on many issues to provide a balanced and independent view on both the equipment details and configurations, as well as offering advice on how spectrum might be used to best advantage, including when new and pioneering concepts are involved. Through these various groups we have had a degree of involvement in discussions and workshops to date on the topic of Public Safety Mobile Broadband (PSMB) and every indication has been that we have been able to offer valuable input and advice.

Many of our members, including the primary author of this document, have had direct experience with Public Safety Agencies (PSA’s) in various forms over many years, some members as suppliers of equipment for LMR systems, others as actual volunteer members within the PSA system. This background has enabled ARCIA representatives to have a degree of familiarisation with the potential needs of the PSA user community. It is our belief, proven under existing discussion formats, that we are able to often assist in outlining the needs and concerns of the PSA’s when they have had limited knowledge of the technology. In many cases we have found that PSA’s have had to rely heavily on the information from their existing or potential suppliers and if this information has been presented to be ‘commercially advantageous’ to the supplier’s gain, then perhaps the PSA personnel have not had all options fully outlined.

To read ARCIA’s full response to the Productivity Commission click here.