Just over a year ago, the Christchurch City Council developed a protocol to allow the installation of mobile phone sites on Council property. The protocol was developed with the intention of providing mobile phone companies with opportunities to locate their equipment on Council land. The Council’s intention is to enable the equipment to be more sensitively located in terms of its impacts on residential areas.

The protocol has worked well, and has provided an alternative supply of suitable land to the mobile phone companies. The protocol has encouraged and facilitated the establishment of several “co-located” sites, where both mobile phone operators will establish their equipment at the one location.

Mobile phone coverage is still poor in some parts of Christchurch and non-existent in others, which means people are unable to make or receive calls. In other areas there are so many calls that the mobile networks are congested and overloaded.

Under the protocol, the Council and telecommunications companies are keen to facilitate the establishment of future facilities where they will have maximum benefit to the community whilst having the least environmental and visual impact.

The latest technology being deployed by the telecommunication companies in Christchurch is in the form of “microsites”. These sites are lower powered than the traditional sites and are visually less conspicuous than the towers which have been erected in various places around the City.This compact equipment allows the establishment of sites on existing structures such as lampposts and traffic signals. The smaller sites are inconspicuous and service a smaller area. The telecommunication companies must seek property owner consent (from the Christchurch City Council) for each individual site. Any license approval is subject to obtaining resource consent under the Resource Management Act (these applications are considered by an independent Commissioner).

Vodafone New Zealand advises that an estimated 60% of Christchurch’s population own a mobile phone. There is a high level of demand for mobile communication, especially in highly populated areas, and as the demand grows so does the need for more mobile phone sites. The protocol enables new sites to be found to meet the demand for services. The Christchurch City Council welcomes the availability of smaller equipment, which should allow mobile phone companies to meet the needs of their growing numbers of customers in an environmentally friendly way.