Registration Requirements

The following information on cabling work is based on the Telecommunications Cabling Provider Rules 2014 (CPRs), as amended, made under subsection 421 (1) of the Telecommunications Act 1997. The full consolidated version is on the Com Law website.

Definitions of registered cablers

Open Registered cabler

A person authorised to undertake any open cabling work, subject to the person holding the appropriate endorsements or specialist competencies for any specialised cabling work undertaken.

Restricted Registered cabler .

A person authorised to undertake any restricted cabling work, subject to the person holding a specialist broadband competency for any point-to-point data or co-axial cabling work undertaken in the home or small office environment.

Lift Registered cabler

An appropriately licensed electrician authorised to undertake any lift area cabling work, subject to the person holding a specialist broadband competency for any point-to-point data or co-axial cabling work undertaken in a lift environment.

Specialised cabling

ACRS OFFERS RECOGNITION OF THE FOLLOWING INDUSTRY ACCREDITED COMPETENCIES.
These competencies can be added to an OPEN registration where the relevant level of training has been met and evidence is provided.

Open Registration

> Structured (data cable Cat 5/5e/6 etc) (S)
> Optical-fibre cable (OF)
> Co-axial cable (C)
> Metallic Testing (MT)
> Fibre Testing (FT)
> Underground (U)
> Aerial. (A)

Restricted Registered Cabler

> Broadband (data or co-axial cable in the home or small office)

Open cabling work

Open cabling work is any type of customer cabling work (including structured, coaxial, optical fibre cabling, aerial and underground cabling work on private or public property) in which the customer cabling that is used terminates at the network boundary on a socket, a network termination device (NTD) or a main distribution frame (MDF).

Restricted cabling work

The Cabling Provider Rules define restricted cabling work as:

1. Subject to subsection (2), the following cabling work is restricted cabling work:
(a) cabling work (including coaxial, broadband, aerial or underground cabling work on private property):
i. that is performed only in relation to a customer’s premises; and
ii. in which the electrical supply voltage does not exceed typical domestic single-phase (230 V a c) and three-phase (400 V a c) electrical supply voltages; and
iii. in which the customer cabling that is used terminates at the network boundary on a socket or network termination device;

(b) cabling work in which customer cabling is connected to customer equipment that complies with:
i. the Act; and
ii. the requirements of the Labeling Notice;

(c) cabling work that meets all of the following criteria to ensure the cablers safety:
i. the work is performed only in relation to a customer’s premises; ii. the electrical supply voltage exceeds the typical domestic single phase (230 V a c) and three-phase (400 V a c) electrical supply voltages;
iii. the supply voltages are identifiable by every person performing the cabling work;
iv. the electrical power cables are inaccessible to any person performing the cabling work

Note: HV cables must not be accessible to restricted cabling providers
Note: Section 4.6 sets out requirements that must be met if a cabling provider is performing restricted cabling work that relates to aerial cabling.

2. Subsection (1) does not apply to cabling work:
(a) performed between customer equipment and any of the following jumperable distributors or jumperable frames, and terminating at the distributor or frame:
i. a Building Distributor;
ii. a Campus Distributor;
iii. a Local Distributor;
iv. a Floor Distributor;
v. a System Distribution Frame;
vi. a Test Point Frame; or

(b) involving cable pairs that are included in cable sheaths shared with other services; or

(c) performed between customer equipment and a patch panel, and terminating at the patch panel.

Examples of restricted cabling work:
1. Cabling work connected behind an alarm panel or modem (but not via a jumperable distributor, a jumperable frame or a patch panel}.
2. Cabling work connected directly behind a Customer Switching System {but not via a jumperable distributor, a jumperable frame or a patch panel).
3. Cabling work for additional phone points (other than the first point) in a commercial, high rise or multi-storey building, if the service involved is a standard telephone service (but not via a jumperable distributor, a jumperable frame or a patch panel).
4. Cabling work for a home automation system {but not via a jumperable distributor, a jumperable frame or a patch panel).

Lift cabling work

Lift cabling work is defined in the Cabling Provider Rules as work:
(a) that is performed in relation to a lift that has been installed, or is to be installed; and
(b) in relation to which the customer cabling that is used connects:
i. a cross connection point adjacent to the lift motor room; and
ii. the lift control cubicle within the lift motor room; and
iii. the lift cars.

Examples of cross connection points:

1. The Floor Distributor (formerly known as the Intermediate Distribution Frame).
2. The Local Distributor (formerly known as the Final Distribution Point).
3. Another suitable cable termination point adjacent to the lift motor room.

Telecommunications cabling work in Lift is covered by the ACMA CPR requirements.

Electrical work is covered by the electrical industry and the EE-OZ Training Package.

Cablers registered as Open CPR are also qualified to work on telecommunications Lift cabling as an ‘Open’ CPR exceeds requirements for both Lift and Restricted.

More information

More detailed information about the CPRs and arrangements for cabler registration is available on request from the ACMA.