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Telecommunications standards & compliance regulatory arrangements

 

Alert: Changes to ACMA labelling arrangements from 1 March 2013.

New single compliance mark – RCM. Further information is available.

 

Overview

The ACMA has responsibility under the Telecommunications Act 1997 to regulate customer equipment (CE) and customer cabling. To achieve this, the ACMA has in place industry self-regulatory arrangements based on compliance with applicable standards and labelling. The ACMA regulates these arrangements through the Telecommunications Labelling (Customer Equipment and Customer Cabling) Notice 2001 (the Labelling Notice).

These regulatory arrangements aim to ensure that items meet minimum mandatory technical standards and are appropriately labelled prior to connection to a telecommunications network. The technical standards address issues relating to protecting personal health and safety of users and operators of telecommunications networks protecting the integrity of the telecommunications networks ensuring interoperability with telecommunications networks for the supply of a standard telephone service and ensuring access to emergency call services.

The Labelling Notice identifies applicable technical standards and the required compliance level for specific items. The compliance level, in a given instance, relates to the risk associated with non-compliance with an applicable standard. Australian manufacturers and importers, or their authorised agent (commonly referred to as suppliers), of specified items, are required to label the item with either a compliance or non-compliance label. Items not specified in the Labelling Notice must not be labelled.

For compliant items, the supplier must make a declaration that the item complies with applicable standards. They must also apply a compliance label, comprising of the A-Tick mark and the company identifier, to the item and hold records supporting claims of compliance. These compliance records are often referred to as compliance folders. Items, which are covered by the Labelling Notice, but do not comply with applicable standard(s), must be labelled with the non-compliance label.

Telecommunications labelling and compliance

  • Telecommunications requirements for suppliers of telecommunications equipment and cabling products in Australia
    The booklet should be read in conjunction with the Telecommunications Labelling Notice. The booklet details the telecommunications regulatory arrangements applicable to the supply of telecommunications equipment and cabling in Australia.
  • Telecommunications Labelling (Customer Equipment & Customer Cabling) Notice 2001

    The Labelling Notice specifies the type of label that must be applied to an item. It also identifies applicable technical standards and the extent of evidence required (the 'compliance level') for an item according to the type of carrier service(s) to which the item is designed to connect.

  • Register of suppliers using alternative compliance path

    Suppliers of cabling product who are eligible to use the alternative compliance path (and therefore not affix the A-tick label to their product) are listed on this register. The register also provides links to web pages for suppliers of products covered by these arrangements.

  • Disability Customer Equipment

    A compliance scheme has been introduced to reduce compliance arrangements for specific CE, identified as disability customer equipment. The aim of the reduced compliance requirements is to minimise the compliance costs for CE which has one or more feature designed to assist persons with disabilities access services supplied over the analog public switched telephone network where the CE is supplied in low quantities (not more than 50 items from each supplier in a calendar year).

Information for manufacturers and importers

Testing and certification

Fact sheets and FAQs

Fact sheets for industry

Fact sheets for consumers

FAQs

 

Last update: 8 March 2013 15:45