ARCIA economic study available for download

ARCIA's landmark study into the worth of spectrum used for the LMR industry is now available for download from the association’s website.

The report, launched in Canberra on 26 November by Senator Anne Ruston, showed that the economic benefit of LMR spectrum use in Australia is between $1.99 billion and $3.72 billion per annum.

This is compared to an annual opportunity cost of only $39.7 million, indicating the benefits of LMR are at least 10 times greater than the next best alternative.

ARCIA says the report raises serious questions about the substitutability of alternatives to radio, which need to be carefully considered by ACMA and the Australian Government. Organisations that use LMR, particularly emergency and first responder services, are highly dependent on mission-critical radio to provide essential public services.

The study found that users are highly committed to LMR technologies because they provide important advantages, including ‘one-to-many’ communication, immediate and continual voice connectivity, and the ability to operate effectively without mobile cellular infrastructure.

The report can be downloaded here.