Australia and New Zealand road transport association Austroads has supported the announcement by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) that the Radiocommunications (Intelligent Transport Systems) Class Licence 2017 has been issued.
Austroads said the release of the ITS Class Licence marks an important milestone towards enabling the next generation of connected and automated vehicles to be introduced to the Australian market.
“The emergence of connected and automated vehicles has the potential to deliver significant societal benefits in the form of improved road safety, reduced traffic congestion, and positive environmental outcomes,” according to Austroads.
The ITS Class Licence will reportedly allow connected vehicles and roadside infrastructure to share data using the 5.9 GHz radio frequency band, aligning with international developments, particularly in Europe.
Austroads said it will work closely with its road agency members and a range of key industry stakeholders to establish the ITS Class Licence with the ACMA.
“This is an important milestone in Australia’s readiness to support connected and automated vehicles,” said Austroads Chief Executive Nick Koukoulas.
“Austroads has worked closely with the ACMA, and collaborated with a range of industry and government stakeholders to achieve this outcome,” he said.
“The road safety and mobility benefits that are anticipated from connected and automated vehicles are significant,” said Austroads Program Director – Connected and Automated Vehicles Stuart Ballingall.
“The release of this licence will greatly assist Australia to support the introduction of these emerging vehicle technologies.”
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