Why can mobile phone base stations be sited away from residential areas?
For mobile networks to work, low powered base stations are required to be located in proximity to where people use their phones. In order to provide quality coverage, it is not always possible to locate a base station in areas far away from residences. The idea of buffer zones around community sensitive sites, such as schools was evaluated by the Australian Communications Industry Forum, a Division of the Communications Alliance, in its Code for the Deployment of Mobile Network Infrastructure It concluded: “The Code does not, as was requested in some submissions, specify distances at which infrastructure must be sited from community sensitive locations. This decision was taken by the Committee on the basis than an arbitrary distance does not necessarily reflect a precautionary approach. For example, infrastructure sited further from a sensitive area may need to operate at a greater power in order to meet the Carrier’s service requirements and this may result in higher exposures in the
