4 Watt Licence Program
GS1 Australia and the 4 Watt Scientific Licence
In 2005 the Australian Communication and Media Authority (ACMA) issued GS1 Australia with an Australian wide scientific licence to allow authorised RFID services to use up to 4 Watts EIRP between 920 – 926 MHz.
This allowed GS1 Australia to provide ACMA with ‘field’ data linked to the cumulative effect of RFID systems operating up to 4 Watt in close proximity to GSM systems (a global mobile phone standard).
ACMA renewed the scientific licence in June 2006, and again in 2007 to enable industry, supported by GS1 Australia, to continue with scientific testing of the use of RFID at up to 4 Watt under the third party licensing arrangement.
Important Notice
In June 2008, GS1 Australia was issued with an extension of the 4 Watt Scientific license. However, this extension was granted with a number of additional conditions.
- The third party authorisations license is to be renewed by GS1 Australia for the full year, expiring 12th July 2009.
- GS1 Australia is not permitted to issue any new third party authorisations licenses.
- Third Party Licence holders are to advise GS1 Australia, prior to changing any parameters of any existing test setup. GS1 Australia would evaluate the proposed changes on a case by case basis on the license renewal.
- Suppliers/ Vendors/ Manufactures of 4 Watt RFID readers/ antennas/ transmitters cannot supply or add new equipment to any existing test. ACMA will not support any supply of additional 4 Watt RFID devices.
- ACMA will not issue any new Form 55, “Permissions to supply non standard devices in Australia”, linked to the GS1 Australia Scientific Licence.
GS1 Australia would like to thank all the 4 Watt scientific license users for their support over the last three years. We would like to advise that the current 4 Watt tests have been successfully completed. ACMA have advised that the changes in class license (LIPD) are currently in progress and expect the process to be completed by the end of 2008.
Should you have any further enquiries, please contact Praveen Kannan.
E: praveen.kannan@gs1au.org
P: 03 9550 3402
Background
Australian RFID services are governed by ACMA through the Low Interference Potential Devices (LIPD) class licence.
Current regulations limit RFID services in the 900 MHz band to operate between 918 and 926 MHz at a maximum power of 1 Watt equivalent isotropic radiated power (EIRP). This means that no license is required to use RFID up to 1 Watt RF power.
From 12th July 2005 to 11th July 2008, any RFID devices operating between 1 Watt and 4 Watt of RF power could operate in Australia under a Third Party scientific licence obtained from GS1 Australia.
Operation of RFID readers up to 4 Watts is permitted in most of the regulatory regions of the world, and provides for economical, robust RFID performance. Both 1 Watt and up to 4 Watt RFID readers have been used by GS1 Australia in various RFID pilots; with 1 Watt suitable for shorter range applications, such as hand held devices, and up to 4 Watt more suited to RFID gateways or other applications where accurate reads at a distance are needed.
GS1 Australia along, with many other leading industry associations and organisations, is working with the ACMA for an amendment to the LIPD class licence to permanently allow UHF RFID services to operate at up to 4 Watt in the 920 to 926 MHz band.
