The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has issued a licence allowing connected vehicles and roadside infrastructure to share data using the 5.9 GHz radio frequency band in the country.
"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," says Austroads, the peak organisation of Australasian road transport and traffic agencies, in a statement.
It adds that the Radiocommunications (Intelligent Transport Systems) Class Licence 2017 aligns with international developments, particularly in Europe.
Austroads, working closely with its road agency members and a range of key industry stakeholders, has taken a lead role driving the process 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 Nick Koukoulas, Austroads Chief Executive. "Austroads has worked closely with the ACMA, and collaborated with a range of industry and government stakeholders to achieve this outcome."
Stuart Ballingall, Austroads Program Director Connected and Automated Vehicles, added, "The road safety and mobility benefits that are anticipated from connected and automated vehicles are significant. The release of this licence will greatly assist Australia to support the introduction of these emerging vehicle technologies."