SACFA’s full form is Standing Advisory Committee on Radio Frequency Allocations. It is the committee which issues SACFA clearance. The Secretary (DOT) or the Chairman of the Telecom Commission chairs it is a high-level committee.
Members of the SACFA Clearance committee
The following entities are the members of the SACFA committee:
- Heads of major wireless users
- Administrative Ministries of the Indian Government
- Member (Technology)
- Telecom Commission
- Wireless Adviser to the Indian Government
- Joint Secretary of the DoT
Aid to SACFA
WPC wing of the Department of Communications provides secretarial help to the SACFA committee. And the Joint Wireless Adviser of the WPC wing is the member-secretary of the SACFA Committee. Also, the Executive Director-Telecom Development ( ED-TD) Railway Board is a member of SACFA, representing the Ministry of Railways. Read More: SACFA Approval
SACFA Expected Functions
The following are the advisories on which the SACFA committee provides its suggestions:
- Frequency Allocation in Major Chunks,
- National Frequency Allocation Plan Formulation,
- Recommendations on issues related to International Telecommunications Union or ITU,
- Asia Pacific Telecommunity, and
- Problems by various wireless users, e.g., SACFA site clearance for wireless installations in the country
SACFA Clearance post-evaluation
The SACFA clearance certificate is obtained after getting ‘no objection’ from SACFA members who have to carry out a detailed technical evaluation. They have to obtain all the evaluations from their field units. These technical evaluations are done primarily for
- Aviation hazards
- Obstruction to the line of site of existing or planned networks
- Interference to existing as well as proposed networks.
Site Application Filing for SACFA Clearance
To obtain SACFA clearance for all sitting categories, you must file the application form from the SACFA secretariat. The applicant must also furnish necessary information, keeping in view the following:
Arrange Site Coordinates for SACFA Clearance
The six-digit coordinates of the site are necessary. These six-figure coordinates must be taken with the help of GPS or any other method for accuracy. Read More: Dealer Certification
Obtain the Site Height
The applicant must obtain the height of the site Above Mean Sea Level (AMSL) from the Survey of India or any other agency. The only exception is the additional antenna category, for which a copy of the earlier SACFA clearance, as well as the AAIs clearance, is mandatory.
Nearest Airport Details
The applicant must mention the name of the nearest airport and its distance from the site in the application for categories of siting.
Distance Authentication
Suppose the site is within 5 kms of the airport. In that case, the following authorities must authenticate the site map, like the nearest airport authority, other government organization(s), or organizations like a municipal corporation, local town planning committee, etc. Also, the distance of the site from the airport must be authenticated.
Site Mapping for SACFA Clearance
Map Scale
The site map must be of the scale of 1 cm = 1 km or nearest, and It must also cover an area of 12 kms radius around the site.
Map Markings
The following must be marked clearly on the map:
- Map Scale
- Site Location
- Name and geo-coordinates of the site
Map Coordinates
The map must contain at least two parallel lines of latitude as well as longitude. The applicant himself must also authenticate the geo-coordinates of the site on the map.
Submission and Verification
Application Submission
The applicant must submit the SACFA clearance application as well as their soft copy for examination. But, the applicants can submit a maximum of five applications in one bunch.
Separate Filing
The applicant must fill out separate application forms for different frequency bands and sites.
Application Circulation
Firstly, after issuing IDs, the applicant must circulate the siting application as per the list applicable to each category of siting clearance. Secondly, the applicant must attach a forwarding letter that the SACFA committee issues with the siting application for SACFA. Also, the applications for additional antenna categories must be circulated to all members of SACFA. However, no NOC from any member is necessary for approval of the site. But, the only exception is sites that fall in the DIZ area for which NOC from JCES is necessary.
SACFA Clearance: Application Attachments
The applicant must attach a copy of the agreement letter assigning the frequencies from WPC with the application. He must also endorse a copy of DOT’s license agreement in case of value-added service.
