News | Sunday, 19 April 2009

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MCA defends urban antennae

James Debono
The Malta Communications Authority is increasingly facing complaints from residents who have woke up to discover a mobile phone antenna installed next to their home, without any forewarning because mobile phone companies do not need a planning notification to install them.
But the MCA has told MaltaToday that relocating the antennae to less populated and non-urban areas, could result in higher radiation levels because they would need a higher radio frequency to provide adequate communication.
The proliferation of antennae has attracted a great deal of annoyance, with Lija mayor Ian Castaldi Paris even filing a judicial protest against Melita plc and the MCA, to remove an antenna from atop a house in one of Lija’s narrowest streets.
But the MCA said the only way of ensuring antennae were safe was to keep actual radiation within scientifically established safe limits: “It should be noted that today typical readings are 5% below the acceptable safe limit,” a spokesperson said.
All operators of electronic communication networks are obliged at law to ensure radiation levels are within legally-established levels.
But the MCA only carries out electro magnetic field (EMF) measurements on selected transmission sites, as part of its audit programme. Radiation readings on its website are in fact from about half the mobile phone antennae installed in Malta.
To date, the results show radiation levels in all base stations falling within the limits set by the International Commission for Non-Ionising Radiation Protection.
But a number of published scientific reports abroad suggest that even exposure to low levels of radiation can result in non-thermal effects that can damage the DNA of living cells.
While an increasing number of people are falling victim to electromagnetic radiation sickness, whose symptoms include sleep disturbances, dizziness, headaches and general ill-health; some studies suggest the disease could be psychosomatic, that is, physical symptoms induced by a psychological disorder.
Although various medical studies suggest evidence of “cancer clusters” around base stations or antennae, the World Health Organisation so far dismisses such claims.

1,000 mobile antennae
Contradicting Investments, Transport and Communications Minister Austin Gatt who told parliament that 2,114 mobile phone antennae have been installed around Malta and Gozo, the MCA spokesperson puts the total number of mobile antennae at 1,000.
According to the MCA, Gatt’s figure includes antennae used for broadcasting, maritime, aeronautical, fixed telephony and other purposes.
The MCA spokesperson did however acknowledge that Malta has a higher density of mobile phone antennae than the United Kingdom. “In the UK there is 1 antenna for every 1,000 inhabitants while the local figure is in the region of 1 for every 650.”
According to the MCA, this ration is dependent on a number of criteria, such as the licence obligations imposed on the operators, the number of operators, the type of service, the population density and the topology of the terrain.

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