Ben
29th August 2005, 02:28 PM
http://www.vodafone.com/article_with_thumbnail/0,3038,OPCO%253D40018%2526CATEGORY_ID%253D210%2526 MT_ID%253Dpr%2526LANGUAGE_ID%253D0%2526CONTENT_ID% 253D268388,00.html
Mobile Phone Masts - local councils work with Vodafone to tackle concerns about health
Seven local councils have teamed up with Vodafone to address public worries about emissions from mobile phone masts with a pioneering scheme to provide 24-hour monitoring of radio frequency fields.
A central unit, named Cassiopea after its Italian origins, records emissions from masts and other sources throughout the day and night in selected areas near to Vodafone equipment then sends this data to the councils publicly accessible website. An easy-to-read graph will then show total emission levels set against the precautionary health guidelines.
This is part of Vodafones wider strategy of addressing concerns and providing information about their operations in communities.
At the heart of the growth in the popularity of mobile phones lies a vital network of mobile phone base stations or masts - Vodafone alone has around 10,000 sites across town and country providing a service to millions of customers. With increasing demand from customers for greater capacity and more services, this figure is set to grow by around three or four per cent. Most people in this country want to take advantage of effective, reliable mobile phone handsets but the masts that are needed to make them work often raise questions and concerns in local communities.
Vodafone ensures that all its radio base stations are compliant with international safety guidelines by design, and the new Cassiopea Units physically demonstrate that compliance. In fact, base stations operate well within these guidelines and the Company hopes that, by seeing just what a small fraction the emission levels really are, local residents will be reassured that their health is not at risk.
The Units are solar-powered and are housed in a discreet pole or roof-mounted box. They record radio frequency fields from a range of sources including emissions from TV and radio as well as from nearby mobile phone base stations.
The data is then sent automatically to a central server and from there to the local authority website.
Vodafones Dr Rob Matthews, who is leading the Cassiopea project, explained: The Cassiopea units are supplied by independent manufacturers, and apart from helping the local authority with the initial installation and with any problems they might encounter, weve taken a back seat. The local council acts as an impartial information provider. Vodafones sister companies in Greece and Italy have carried out this type of 24-hour monitoring so we know how well it can work but now, thanks to the participation of our seven triallists, for the first time, UK residents will able to check EMF levels in their own locality.
Radio frequency fields emitted by mobile phone masts are a type of electromagnetic field or EMF. EMFs are present everywhere in our environment from a number of sources. They are produced by the local build-up of electric charges in the atmosphere, by the earths magnetic field and by daylight itself. They are also generated by a range of man-made developments. As well as mobile communications, television and radio, sources include emergency services communications, medical and factory equipment, taxi firms, electronic car keys, shop security tags and even baby listening devices.
Note
The six local councils are: City and County of Swansea; Oxford City Council; Cambridge City Council; Portsmouth City Council; Stroud District Council; Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council; and Wycombe District Council.
Further information on the Cassiopea Project is available from Vodafones EMF Advisory Unit, Vodafone House, The Connection, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2FN, tel: 08454 450 450 or from [email protected].
VODAFONE UK
Vodafone UK has over 15 million customers and is part of the worlds largest mobile community. The Newbury-based company offers a wide range of mobile voice and data communications. The Vodafone UK network covers 99% of the population and transmits over 20 million text messages every day. Vodafone UK was the worlds first mobile operator to introduce, texting, pre-pay phones and international roaming, and currently customers can use their phones on 410 networks in 182 countries.
Sounds alright to me! Anything that will demonstrate to the public that there's nothing to worry about... that we know of :D
Mobile Phone Masts - local councils work with Vodafone to tackle concerns about health
Seven local councils have teamed up with Vodafone to address public worries about emissions from mobile phone masts with a pioneering scheme to provide 24-hour monitoring of radio frequency fields.
A central unit, named Cassiopea after its Italian origins, records emissions from masts and other sources throughout the day and night in selected areas near to Vodafone equipment then sends this data to the councils publicly accessible website. An easy-to-read graph will then show total emission levels set against the precautionary health guidelines.
This is part of Vodafones wider strategy of addressing concerns and providing information about their operations in communities.
At the heart of the growth in the popularity of mobile phones lies a vital network of mobile phone base stations or masts - Vodafone alone has around 10,000 sites across town and country providing a service to millions of customers. With increasing demand from customers for greater capacity and more services, this figure is set to grow by around three or four per cent. Most people in this country want to take advantage of effective, reliable mobile phone handsets but the masts that are needed to make them work often raise questions and concerns in local communities.
Vodafone ensures that all its radio base stations are compliant with international safety guidelines by design, and the new Cassiopea Units physically demonstrate that compliance. In fact, base stations operate well within these guidelines and the Company hopes that, by seeing just what a small fraction the emission levels really are, local residents will be reassured that their health is not at risk.
The Units are solar-powered and are housed in a discreet pole or roof-mounted box. They record radio frequency fields from a range of sources including emissions from TV and radio as well as from nearby mobile phone base stations.
The data is then sent automatically to a central server and from there to the local authority website.
Vodafones Dr Rob Matthews, who is leading the Cassiopea project, explained: The Cassiopea units are supplied by independent manufacturers, and apart from helping the local authority with the initial installation and with any problems they might encounter, weve taken a back seat. The local council acts as an impartial information provider. Vodafones sister companies in Greece and Italy have carried out this type of 24-hour monitoring so we know how well it can work but now, thanks to the participation of our seven triallists, for the first time, UK residents will able to check EMF levels in their own locality.
Radio frequency fields emitted by mobile phone masts are a type of electromagnetic field or EMF. EMFs are present everywhere in our environment from a number of sources. They are produced by the local build-up of electric charges in the atmosphere, by the earths magnetic field and by daylight itself. They are also generated by a range of man-made developments. As well as mobile communications, television and radio, sources include emergency services communications, medical and factory equipment, taxi firms, electronic car keys, shop security tags and even baby listening devices.
Note
The six local councils are: City and County of Swansea; Oxford City Council; Cambridge City Council; Portsmouth City Council; Stroud District Council; Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council; and Wycombe District Council.
Further information on the Cassiopea Project is available from Vodafones EMF Advisory Unit, Vodafone House, The Connection, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2FN, tel: 08454 450 450 or from [email protected].
VODAFONE UK
Vodafone UK has over 15 million customers and is part of the worlds largest mobile community. The Newbury-based company offers a wide range of mobile voice and data communications. The Vodafone UK network covers 99% of the population and transmits over 20 million text messages every day. Vodafone UK was the worlds first mobile operator to introduce, texting, pre-pay phones and international roaming, and currently customers can use their phones on 410 networks in 182 countries.
Sounds alright to me! Anything that will demonstrate to the public that there's nothing to worry about... that we know of :D