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 cell base stations beneath new legislative devices presently becoming proposed.

Regulation variations passed past year made it is easier for telcos to deploy particular types of short-term telecommunications infrastructure in “emergencies, peak holiday getaway intervals, and [at] main sporting, cultural and other events”.

But there is a glitch, the carrier reckons, and it stems from what is interpreted as “low impact” and thus not topic to neighborhood planning legislation or usually demanded to seek added permissions (believe councils) in purchase to run.

With telco legislation becoming fundamentally a federal affair, the former Office of Communications published publicity drafts of a new very low-effects amenities determination (LIFD) at the stop of past year.

Telstra said the proposed regulations for a short-term higher than-ground facility, as they stand, would have the outcome of prohibiting ongoing use of the carrier’s CoW trailers, which are normally deployed to catastrophe-strike areas to get cell companies again on the internet.

The CoW by itself is made up of a trailer with an extendable “pump up” mast and antennas on prime.

On the other hand, the regulations as they stand would prohibit a short-term higher than ground facility from also getting a tower, as perfectly as impose a full top limit of 5 metres.

“Telstra is anxious that the prohibition of a short-term tower (included with a short-term higher than ground facility) … and the top limit … has an unintended consequence of prohibiting the use of a Mobile on Wheels (CoW),” it said.

“Having utilized the proposed amendments to case scientific studies, it appears that the Telstra CoW … would not be permitted … as its created-in pump up mast is included into a short-term higher than ground facility.

“In addition, the CoW’s short-term antennas situated at the prime of the pump-up mast exceed 5 metres higher than ground, so do not comply with the top limit.”

Telstra has requested the office to change the proposed LIFD to eliminate what it sees as an “unintended consequence”.

It has also requested the federal government to make a even more change to the regulations to “expressly allow” carriers to run aerial cables to and from the short-term infrastructure.

“Carriers use aerial cables to join short-term amenities and can typically do so additional quickly than setting up underground cables and with much less environmental effects,” it said.

“Which include short-term aerial cables as a new merchandise in the LIFD would let carriers to join the short-term amenities to backhaul and assure the procedure of the short-term facility.”