OPTUS has submitted plans to erect a 35-metre mobile phone tower to boost mobile phone reception and data services in and around the Morisset industrial area.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Lake Macquarie City Council is considering a development application (DA) from the telecommunications company to build a mobile base station on private land in Kalef Avenue.
The $180,000 investment would include a 35-metre monopole, panel antennas, and a fenced equipment shelter.
Optus said the tower was part of a nationwide roll-out of infrastructure to deliver an “improved and more reliable telecommunications network”.
The Morisset industrial area has been a hot spot for telecommunications problems in recent years.
Several businesses have complained to the Lakes Mail about failures in mobile phone reception, poor internet speeds and, most recently, problems with the national broadband network (NBN) rollout in the area.
Optus said it investigated the possibility of piggy-backing onto existing phone tower infrastructure in the area.
But it found the existing facilities were located too far from the target area to achieve the required goals.
Locating the tower in Kalef Avenue would enable it to service an area of between 2km and 4km from the site.
In its DA submission to council, Optus moved to allay concerns about any adverse health implications for people in the vicinity of the proposed tower, including at local child care centres.
“Optus co-operates within the operational standards set by the Australian Communication and Media Authority (ACMA) and Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA),” it said.
The maximum predicted electromagnetic energy levels that would be experienced up to 500m from the tower would equate to just 0.59 per cent of the maximum exposure limit - well below the allowable exposure limit under the Australian Standard, Optus said.
Council said it would review information from the government and other relevant authorities regarding health effects, when assessing the DA.