Mobile phone mast or base station,the increasing co-location of multiple mobile operators, and therefore multiple base stations
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Contributor:
Steve Welsh / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
BGC5YNFile size:
52.6 MB (1.8 MB Compressed download)Releases:
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3500 x 5250 px | 29.6 x 44.5 cm | 11.7 x 17.5 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
5 December 2009More information:
Mobile phone mast or base station, the increasing co-location of multiple mobile operators, and therefore multiple base stations, at a single site. Depending on an operator's technology, even a site hosting just a single mobile operator may house multiple base stations, each to serve a different air interface technology. Preserved treescapes can often hide cell towers inside an artificial tree or preserved tree. These installations are generally referred to as concealed cell sites or stealth cell sites. To check if a mast exists in a particular area, you can carry out a postcode, street name or town/city search. A map of your chosen area is displayed along with details of any masts present in the area.Ofcom hosts the Sitefinder tool on behalf of Government which can be searched for the location and details of mobile phone base station sites around specific locations. The data within Sitefinder is owned by the mobile network operators, who supply it on a voluntary basis. Ofcom has not, therefore, supplied the underlying dataset to any enquirers. Following a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and a decision by the Information Commissioner, subsequently upheld by the Information Tribunal and the High Court, that Ofcom must disclose the nationwide information contained within Sitefinder to parties who request it, operators ceased to supply updates of their information for the site. Most operators (excluding T-Mobile) have since agreed to resume voluntary updates which are made every 3 months. Following a hearing in December 2008, the Court of Appeal upheld Ofcom’s appeal of the Information Commissioner’s decision. The Information Commissioner has since been granted leave to appeal to the House of Lords. The Sitefinder tool therefore remains available and reasonably current (excepting T-Mobile sites); meanwhile Ofcom will not release the underlying database pending.