Comms Connect preview: Automated Frequency Coordination trial underway in SA

At Comms Connect Melbourne 2026, DuxTel Managing Director Mike Everest will be presenting on the topic ‘Is 6 GHz band AFC an option for your 5 GHz network challenges?’. The case study below outlines how AFC, or Automated Frequency Coordination, is currently being trialled by DuxTel in South Australia — and how the results could transform our use of 6 GHz spectrum.

Australia’s lower 6 GHz band offers an important opportunity for high-capacity fixed wireless, but outdoor standard-power operation must coexist with licensed point-to-point microwave services already using the spectrum.

DuxTel recently received an ACMA scientific apparatus licence for a 12-month field trial of AFC at Burra, South Australia, commencing on 24 August 2026. Working with local WISP goyderCONNECT, Mimosa, AFC provider Comsearch and spectrum specialists Erkmar Australia, the non-commercial project will put AFC into operation in a representative regional Australian environment.

The licence enables this specific controlled trial; it does not represent approval of AFC for general outdoor standard-power use in Australia. ACMA is still considering whether, and under what framework, AFC-assisted spectrum sharing should be introduced. The Burra project is intended to provide practical field evidence to help inform that decision.

AFC replaces broad static restrictions with location-aware coordination. An AFC-controlled access point supplies its geographic location and installation parameters to an AFC system. The AFC references protected incumbent services and applies propagation and interference calculations to determine which frequencies can be used at that location and the maximum permitted power on each channel.

The result is effectively a location-specific spectrum and power map. Frequencies presenting no material risk may be authorised at full permitted power, while others can be power-restricted or unavailable. Modelling for Burra already demonstrates this behaviour: across the trial’s 5925–6585 MHz range, a test AFC response permits the proposed maximum 36 dBm EIRP across most of the band, while selectively reducing power in two ranges where additional incumbent protection is required.

The trial uses two Mimosa A6 access points, each with an integrated 90° sector antenna, serving C6x subscriber radios approximately 1.5, 2.5 and 7.5 km away. Integrated GNSS provides the location data important to AFC operation, while modular high-gain C6x antennas concentrate energy towards the access point and minimise unwanted radiation.

Mimosa’s A6 is a 5 and 6 GHz fixed-wireless platform with production-ready AFC capability. Based on Wi-Fi 6E technology, it supports 1024-QAM, 8-stream beamforming and channels up to 160 MHz, with aggregate throughput up to 4.5 Gbps. The C6x client supports up to 1.75 Gbps in PTMP operation, with modular antenna options for different path lengths and deployment requirements.

The Mimosa C6x CPE delivers 1.75 Gbps in PTMP operation, with modular antenna options for different path lengths and deployment requirements.

For AFC operation, the A6 can obtain location-specific spectrum and power authorisation from an AFC provider and apply those constraints to the network. This production-ready AFC capability was considered an important factor in selecting Mimosa for the Australian trial.

The Mimosa A6 features 8-stream beamforming with aggregate throughput up to 4.5 Gbps.

The Burra network will be monitored using automated alarms and SNMP. If connectivity to the AFC service is lost, the system reverts to compliant 5 GHz operation rather than continuing uncontrolled operation in 6 GHz. DuxTel has also established direct contact and interference-resolution procedures for incumbent licensees.

The Burra trial will be actively gathering field data from the beginning of September, with the most important measure of success being not simply broadband performance, but demonstrating that an AFC-controlled network can dynamically share 6 GHz spectrum without causing an adverse effect on existing licensed microwave services. If successful, the project could provide valuable Australian evidence for a future sharing model that increases spectrum utilisation and unlock substantial new capacity for regional fixed-wireless networks while protecting licensed incumbent services.

To find out more, and to see the A6 system in action, visit DuxTel at Comms Connect Melbourne from 14–15 October at Stand 81, or attend Mike Everest’s presentation on 15 October.

Top image caption: goyderCONNECT, based in Burra, SA, is an ideal rural WISP network to run the AFC trial.