The Federal Govermment has revealed its response the spectrum review undertaken by the Department of Communications, with the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
In its repsonse, the goverment has indicated it will implement the three main recommendations of the review.
The first is to replace the current legislative arrangements with new legislation that removes prescriptive process and streamlines licensing, for a simpler and more flexible framework.
The second is to integrate the management of public sector and broadcasting spectrum to improve the consistency and integrity of the framework.
Lastly, the government will review spectrum pricing to ensure consistent and transparent arrangements to support the efficient use of spectrum and secondary markets.
Implementation of the spectrum review recommendations will be staged over a number of years and will involve consultation to maintain certainty and support stakeholders during the transition, according to a communications department statement.
"The guiding principle for the transition is that the rights of existing licence holders will not be diminished in the transition.
"The new licensing system is intended to be progressively rolled out from mid-2017."
In transitioning to the new system, existing licensees will be able to select the option which best suits their needs.
These option include retaining their current licensing arrangement until expiry, or transitioning to new licensing arrangements before the formal expiration of their current licences.
Those seeking new licences will be issued licences under the old arrangements until the new system is in place and a licence type suitable for their proposed use is available.