| Who is 2degrees? 2degrees is New Zealand’s newest mobile network company. Since we launched our $250 million network in 2009, hundreds of thousands of Kiwis have chosen to join us. They now know they don’t have to put up with complicated calling plans or long-term contracts to get a decent deal. Q. How is New Zealand benefiting from 2degrees? We’re providing more choice and better value for New Zealand mobile users. Before we launched, New Zealand’s mobile prices were amongst the most expensive in the developed world. We started by halving the standard prepaid rate for calling. We also dropped the standard prepaid text rate and introduced new concepts such as ‘Carryover Minutes™’, which let you use any unused calling minutes in following months. The Commerce Commission has said: “The entry of 2degrees into the mobile market in August 2009 means that for the first time in the Commerce Commission’s analysis, New Zealand consumers are able to access a prepaid plan at prices lower than the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) average.” 1 Q. Does 2degrees have national coverage? Yes. We’ve built our own network in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown. Outside these areas, our customers roam on the Vodafone network. Q. Why does 2degrees need to build more mobile phone sites? This year we’re investing an additional $100 million to extend our network. This will reduce the roaming costs we have to pay, and allow us to offer even better products and services to New Zealanders. Q. You are planning to build a ‘site’ in our area. What is a mobile phone site? A mobile phone site is a low-powered radio transmitting and receiving station consisting of antennas and equipment. Sometimes we put the antenna on top of a roof, other times it will be on another mobile provider’s tower or on top of a pole or council light pole. The sites transmit and receive radio waves between mobile phones and the mobile phone site. The radio transmitters used at mobile phone sites have much less power than those used for commercial TV and radio transmissions. The radio waves they use are the same as those used by cordless phones, baby monitors and radio controlled toys. Q. Why does 2degrees want to build a mobile phone site in this area? When choosing mobile phone site locations, we try to choose and design a site that will have the least impact on the community and the environment. Good network coverage is also important to our site selection, and sometimes that limits where we can establish a site. Where possible, we choose industrial and commercial areas where there are existing structures. When those aren’t available or suitable, we need to look for alternatives, which can include residential areas. The site we propose is needed to provide good quality coverage and has been selected following discussion with the landowner. Resource Management Act For every mobile phone site we apply to the local Council for regulatory approval such as a resource consent under the Resource Management Act (RMA) to build the site and we work with that Council to inform the community of our plans. When we make an application for a resource consent, the Council decides whether the application should be non-notified, limited-notified or publicly notified. When Council decides a resource consent application is non-notified, we have permission to start building as long as we meet the conditions of the resource consent. When Council decides an application is limited-notified, the application is communicated to the select group of people the Council believes could be adversely affected by the application. Based on the submissions the Council receives from those people, it then decides whether to grant consent. When a resource consent application is notified, the application is communicated to the wider community in writing and by public notices. Anyone can lodge a submission about a notified application. Based on the feedback the Council receives from the public and other relevant factors, it then decides whether to grant consent. National Environmental Standard Under the new National Environmental Standard (NES) for Telecommunications Facilities, we may build and manage mobile phone sites using existing street structures (e.g. street lights) on road reserves without a resource consent as long as we meet strict criteria around radio frequency emission levels, size, noise and positioning. We send information regarding these criteria to the Council for its approval. In addition, we also require the Council’s approval if it is the owner of the structure we intend to use. Q. Will a mobile site in the area affect the value of my property / house? Click here to read more about a recent study by academics at the University of Auckland. Q. How do I know what’s going to happen and when? We work with the local Council to inform residents of a new mobile phone site as required by the Resource Management Act. In addition we will notify nearby residents if a mobile phone site is being built in their area 10 working days before we begin construction. Q. Are mobile phone sites a health risk? No, according to all reliable international research, which is reviewed every six months by the New Zealand Ministry of Health. According to the National Radiation Laboratory (NRL), which is part of the Ministry of Health, there is no health risk associated with mobile phone sites which are operated within the guidelines recommended by the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). 2 You can find more information at: www.nrl.moh.govt.nz We are committed to the safety of the communities in which we live, work and operate, and we make sure all our mobile phone sites meet all national standards and guidelines. Q. Who sets the safety standards? In New Zealand, the Ministry of Health specifies the safe radio frequency emissions and exposure standards within which telecommunications companies must operate. These standards are in line with the recommendations made by international authorities including the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and the World Health Organisation. Q. Who checks to make sure they comply with the standards? The National Radiation Laboratory regularly tests mobile phone sites around the country to monitor radio frequency levels and to ensure all mobile network operators continue to meet the relevant standards for radio frequency emissions. You can see results of their tests at: www.nrl.moh.govt.nz Measurements performed by the NRL on several hundred mobile phone sites nationwide have shown that exposures are typically less than 1% of the permitted New Zealand exposure limit. This is less than the emissions from many common household appliances such as cordless phones. Q. What are you doing to minimise the impact of new sites on the environment? We use the latest mobile telecommunications technology, which means we typically need only three antennas per site. Other operators (using different technology) can need up to 15. Our neutral-coloured sites are lower-profile because they have slim head frames and no horizontal arms. In some residential areas we are able to further reduce any visual impact of the mobile phone site by screening the site with plants. Q. Why does every mobile network operator need to have their own site? It’s our objective to provide the best coverage we can for our customers. Sometimes we can do that by ‘co-location’, where we share infrastructure (such as poles) with other operators. We also look for buildings where we can place antennas on the roof so tall poles are not required. Where those options aren’t viable we may need to install a new stand-alone mobile phone site. If we need to build a new mobile phone site, we always look for locations which have the least environmental impact, starting with industrial and commercial areas where there are existing structures, and using residential areas only as a last resort. Q. How can I contact 2degrees to learn more? To talk to us or for further information about the 2degrees network build programme, phone 0800 718 000 or email: community@2degreesmobile.co.nz
2. National Radiation Laboratory booklet, Cellsites, March 2001 3. National Radiation Laboratory booklet, Cellsites, March 2001 |
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