Telstra’s use of cell on wheels trailers threatened – Telco/ISP

Telstra is anxious it could be unintentionally barred from deploying its mobile on wheels (CoW) portable cellular foundation stations less than new legislative instruments presently becoming proposed.

Law modifications passed previous year made it is less complicated for telcos to deploy selected kinds of temporary telecommunications infrastructure in “emergencies, peak getaway periods, and [at] significant sporting, cultural and other events”.

But you will find a glitch, the carrier reckons, and it stems from what is interpreted as “low impact” and as a result not matter to local organizing regulations or otherwise needed to request excess permissions (believe councils) in buy to function.

With telco regulations becoming primarily a federal affair, the former Division of Communications revealed publicity drafts of a new low-effects services willpower (LIFD) at the end of previous year.

Telstra stated the proposed rules for a temporary higher than-floor facility, as they stand, would have the impact of prohibiting ongoing use of the carrier’s CoW trailers, which are often deployed to catastrophe-hit spots to get cellular providers back on line.

The CoW alone consists of a trailer with an extendable “pump up” mast and antennas on leading.

However, the rules as they stand would prohibit a temporary higher than floor facility from also possessing a tower, as very well as impose a total height limit of five metres.

“Telstra is anxious that the prohibition of a temporary tower (included with a temporary higher than floor facility) … and the height limit … has an unintended consequence of prohibiting the use of a Cell on Wheels (CoW),” it stated.

“Having applied the proposed amendments to scenario scientific tests, it seems that the Telstra CoW … would not be permitted … as its built-in pump up mast is included into a temporary higher than floor facility.

“In addition, the CoW’s temporary antennas found at the leading of the pump-up mast exceed five metres higher than floor, so do not comply with the height limit.”

Telstra has questioned the section to alter the proposed LIFD to take away what it sees as an “unintended consequence”.

It has also questioned the govt to make a further more alter to the rules to “expressly allow” carriers to operate aerial cables to and from the temporary infrastructure.

“Carriers use aerial cables to link temporary services and can usually do so much more promptly than putting in underground cables and with less environmental effects,” it stated.

“Together with temporary aerial cables as a new item in the LIFD would let carriers to link the temporary services to backhaul and make certain the procedure of the temporary facility.”