4 | 15 January 2018 15 January 2018 | 1

PROPOSAL TO INSTALL A NEW TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITY AT

JOHN HART OVAL HART ROAD (CORNER SWAN TCE), ETHELTON

15 JANUARY 2018

What is the proposal for Ethelton?

Telstra is writing to inform you about the proposed

installation of a new mobile telecommunications

base station at the John Hart Oval’s soccer pitch

on Hart Street, Ethelton (‘the Proposed Facility’).

The location selected is in the south-western

corner of the soccer pitch and will replace the

existing light pole. Access will be from the existing

Swan Terrace entrance. No trees will be removed

to accommodate the installation.

An existing Telstra facility is collocated with a

Vodafone facility on the light pole approximately

50 metres to the north. The existing Telstra facility

provides only 3G services and cannot be upgraded

to deliver Telstra’s 4G services due to structural

limitations of the pole and a general lack of space.

Once the Proposed Facility has been constructed

the existing Telstra facility will be removed

(however Vodafone will continue to use that

location).

The Proposed Facility will replace the existing

services currently provided by the existing facility

and introduce enhanced services, including 4GX,

to the surrounding area.

The Proposed Facility will comprise the following:

• a 30m tall Telstra monopole (replacing the

Does the Proposed Facility meet the ARPANSA safety limit?

It is Telstra’s responsibility to comply with the

mandated standard (RPS3) for EMF set by

ARPANSA, which is based on the safety guidelines

recommended by the WHO. The safety standard

works by limiting the network signal to a level low

enough to protect all people, in all environments, 24

hours a day. The safety limit itself has a significant

safety margin built into it.

To demonstrate compliance with the safety standard,

an Environmental EME Report is available via the

RFNSA website:

www.rfnsa.com.au/5015007

This report predicts that the maximum signal strength

from the Proposed Facility at 1.5m above ground

level, is well within the allowable limit that it is

permitted to transmit over a 24 hour period. This is

typical of Telstra’s responsible approach to network

performance and environmental compliance.

“Health authorities, including ARPANSA and the

WHO have examined the scientific evidence regarding

possible health effects from base stations. Current

research indicates that there are no established health

effects from the low exposure to the RF EME from

mobile phone base station antennas.”

ARPANSA Fact sheet “Mobile Base Stations and Health” August 2016

Further information about EMF

Commonwealth Department of Health (ARPANSA)

www.arpansa.gov.au

Australian Communications and Media Authority

(ACMA) www.acma.gov.au

World Health Organisation (WHO) www.who.int/en/

Consultation

The City of Port Adelaide Enfield is undertaking

community consultation for the purposes of leasing

land to Telstra. Telstra has been advised the public

notification runs from 15 January 2018 to 12 February

2018.

Telstra will also be required to lodge a Development

Application with the City of Port Adelaide Enfield. The

Development Application will be a category 3 form of

development and subject to further public notification,

which will be conducted by Council at the appropriate

time.

Additional information, including proposal plans, can be

found at www.rfnsa.com.au/5015007.

Contacts

Any other questions/feedback in relation to the

Proposed Facility should be directed in writing to Mark

Baade at the address below or via email to

markb@skplanning.com.au:

S K Planning

P O Box 138

Crafers SA 5152

T: 0417 088 000

Figure 1: View of the Proposed Facility from Hart Street

(existing facility is on the right, new facility centre right)

PROPOSAL TO INSTALL A NEW TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITY AT JOHN HART OVAL, ETHELTON

PROPOSAL TO INSTALL A NEW TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITY AT JOHN HART OVAL, ETHELTON

2 | 15 January 2018

15 January 2018| 3

PROPOSAL TO INSTALL A NEW TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITY AT JOHN HART OVAL, ETHELTON

existing 17m-tall light pole in approximately the

same location. The existing lights would be placed

at the same height on the new monopole;

• Six (6) Telstra panel antennas, each 2.53m in

length, mounted on a headframe located at the top

of the proposed monopole;

• Three (3) Telstra remote radio units (RRUs)

mounted within the proposed headframe;

• Three (3) Telstra tower mount amplifiers (TMAs)

mounted behind three of the panel antennas;

• An equipment shelter located at the base of the

proposed monopole;

• Cabling and other ancillary items such as

cabletrays, pits and bollards.

The Proposed Facility requires a development

application to be lodged with the City of Port Adelaide

Enfield and assessed against Council's Development

Plan. Pursuant to the Development Regulations

2008, the proposal will be subject to the category 3

public notification process, which will be conducted

by Council.

The location of the Proposed Facility places it within

the Recreation Zone of the City of Port Adelaide

Enfield. This location is considered to be appropriate

for the following reasons:

• Telstra (and Vodafone) have operated from this

location for a number of years without incident;

• The location utilises an existing light pole (which

will be replaced);

• The location selected at John Hart Oval will not

interfere with sporting activities, is well separated

and visually screened from most of the surrounding

residential area.

Why does Telstra need to replace the existing facility at Ethelton?

The existing 3G facility, which has been in place for a

number of years, is unable to be upgraded to enable

all of Telstra’s 4G services to be provided from this

location. This is primarily due to the structural

limitations of the monopole and a general lack of

space. The Proposed Facility is required to meet

increased demand placed on the network,

accommodate growth in our customer base and

improve and maintain mobile network services.

Telstra understands that some locations where we

need to place our facilities are more sensitive than

others. Telstra works diligently to find a balance

between providing high quality services and

minimising our impact on the community and the local

environment.

In selecting the site, in addition to technical

requirements, Telstra has taken into account a

number of other important non-technical criteria,

including:

• the potential to co-locate at (another) existing

telecommunications facility;

• the potential to locate on an existing building or

structure;

• the visual impact on the surrounding area and the

need to obtain relevant town planning approvals;

• the proximity to community-sensitive locations and

areas of environmental heritage or significance;

and

• the type of and ability to secure tenure at the site.

How do Mobile Phone Networks Work?

A mobile communications network is made up of a

patchwork of cells covering a geographic area. When

you make a call or try to download content, your

device will pick up low-power radio signals, usually

from the nearest base and then send and receive

data. As you move outside of that cell, the phone will

“talk” to adjoining cells from different facilities.

Telstra’s network is made up of many low-powered

facilities located on rooftops of commercial

buildings, apartments, hospitals, sports complexes

and on existing infrastructure such as light poles

and telecommunications towers that are positioned

throughout the community to provide reliable,

continuous network coverage for both local

customers and those travelling through the area.

There are many factors that may cause a call drop-

out or slow data speeds while you are transferring

content. First, you may be too far away from a

facility to pick up a signal, or there may be objects

blocking the signal from your nearest facility – such

as hills, large buildings or even trees. Second, the

facility may be handling as many calls as it can

manage – call drop-outs and slower data speeds

can occur when too many customers are using the

available resources of a facility at once. Third, the

depth of coverage (which affects the ability to make

calls inside buildings) may be insufficient.

Base Stations and Health

Telstra understands that some people have

genuine concerns about the levels of

Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) that the Proposed

Facility will emit and is committed to addressing

those concerns responsibly. EMF is sometimes

known as electromagnetic radiation (EMR) or

electromagnetic energy (EME). Electromagnetic

fields are present everywhere in our environment –

the earth, sun and ionosphere are all natural sources

of EMF.

We rely on the expert advice of international and

national health authorities including the World Health

Organization (WHO) and the Australian Radiation

Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA)

for overall assessments of health and safety impacts.

The International Commission on Non-Ionizing

Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) has issued guidelines

on levels of allowable public exposure to Radio

Frequency (RF) fields, including guidelines on RF

from mobile phones and base stations that Telstra

adheres to. These guidelines have a large safety

margin built into them.

In addition, further information is available at:

www.telstra.com.au/eme and EMF Explained Series

www.emfexplained.info

Figure 2: Location of Proposed Facility (SW corner of soccer pitch)