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FAQs

What is Sitefinder?

Sitefinder is a database giving technical details of mobile phone ‘base stations’, for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is enquiry driven allowing the user to see details about base stations on a local area map.

Why was it set up?

In April 1999 the Minister for Public Health, Tessa Jowell, established the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones (IEGMP) - also known as the Stewart Group. The IEGMP was asked to examine the possible effects of mobile phones and base stations on health.

"The IEGMP (Stewart) Report " was published on 11 May 2000. One of the main recommendations identified a general need to give the public reliable and openly available information about the location and operating characteristics of all mobile phone base stations.

Sitefinder was developed in co-operation with the mobile phone operating companies that voluntarily agreed to the release of the information as provided by Sitefinder.

Following the creation of Ofcom, we have inherited the duties of the Radiocommunications Agency and will be continuing to provide information about base stations as outlined in the Stewart report.

How do I use the database?

1) The Sitefinder display shows a UK map. You can search for base stations using a post code, street name or town name.

Alternatively you can click on the map and zoom in to a particular location.

2) Enter a Postcode, Street Name or Town/City and Click

Base stations will be displayed as blue triangles when the map scale shows 0-100 or 0-500

Select :

3) To see the base station details, zoom in so that the map scale shows 0-100, then click the pointer over a Base Station “blue triangle” and the site details will be displayed

I can’t see any base stations on the Sitefinder maps

The base stations will appear as blue triangles when the map scale shows 0-100 or 0-500. If you browse the maps you need to “zoom in” to see the base stations. Select Zoom In, move the pointer over part of the map and left click the mouse, the map will then change to a smaller scale.

Why won't the zoom function work properly?

Your browser should be set to allow per-session “cookies”. In most cases your browser standard settings will enable Sitefinder to work successfully. You can use the browser help pages to find out how to enable per-session “cookies.

What information does Sitefinder provide?

The Sitefinder database provides information on cellular radio transmitters in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Information Provided on Sitefinder Database:

Name of Operator	The name of the organisation that operates the transmitter.
Operator Site Ref.	This is the operator’s unique base station name or reference number
Station Type	Microcell or Macrocell. A Macrocell is normally associated with a mast or other structure supporting a large antenna designed to give coverage over a large area; a Microcell is a low power station, often using unobtrusive antennas, designed to give coverage over a small localised area.
Height of Antenna	Metres above ground level (NB. this will be the height of the antenna, not necessarily the height of any supporting mast or tower).
Frequency range	In the UK the following frequency bands are used for cellular telephony: MHz 380 - 385 TETRA 390 - 395 TETRA 876 - 915 GSM 921- 960 GSM 1710 -1781 GSM 1805 -1876 GSM 1900 - 1980 3G 2110 - 2170 3G
Transmitter power	Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP dBW) per channel. Equivalent isotropic radiated power is the maximum power out of the antenna in a given direction (usually a few degrees down from the horizontal). This is the design power for the particular channel, during quiet periods the power may be less than the stated EIRP. The antenna acts to focus the radio beam, like a lamp reflector, therefore the maximum power will appear in a particular direction. The power in other directions, such a vertically downwards is sometimes significantly less. dBW. A dBW expresses power in relation to a reference level of 1 Watt. Examples: 30dBW = 1000 Watts 20dBW = 100 Watts 10dBW = 10 Watts
Maximum licensed power	EiRP dBW per channel. The maximum licensed power is the highest power that would ever be permitted from a particular transmitter. In practice, most transmitters operate substantially below this limit.
Type of Transmission	Three types of cellular technologies operate in the UK : GSM is the Global system for Mobile Communications or Groupe Speciale Mobile. This is the international operating standard for the second generation of digital cellular mobile communications. Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), commonly known as 3G, is the third generation of digital mobile phone technology. Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) is a digital mobile service that combines two-way radio, mobile telephony and messaging in one handset. It is designed to be used by professional groups such as sales forces, field service teams and the emergency services. The TETRA handsets can communicate directly with each other when outside the reach of a cellular base station.

Is Sitefinder compulsory?

Sitefinder was set up by the Government with the voluntary cooperation of the operators. To impose a compulsory scheme would require a legal basis for collecting network data. The process to implement that, for example through a licence variation, would require considerable consultation and legal work to be undertaken.

How up to date is Sitefinder?

3, Airwave, Network Rail, O2, Orange and Vodafone, all supply data to Ofcom at approximately 3 months intervals. Because of the uncertainty of whether Ofcom may have to disclose the data under the Freedom of Information Act, T-Mobile has decided not to supply data for Sitefinder, pending the outcome of legal proceedings in the Court of Appeal to determine if Ofcom should supply copies of the Sitefinder data to third parties in future.

Can I have a copy of the Sitefinder Database?

The data within Sitefinder is owned by the mobile network operators, who supplied it on a voluntary basis.   It is presented in an agreed format as the underlying data is regarded as commercially and security sensitive. Ofcom does not have the Industry's consent to release either the data or any other derivations from it . We are not, therefore, supplying the underlying dataset to any enquirers.  Legal proceedings are ongoing to consider the applicability of the Freedom of Information Act and associated legislation to such network data.

Base Stations

What is a base station?

Typically a base station will consist of an equipment cabinet, an antenna that sends and receives radio waves to and from mobile phones and a structure that supports the antenna. The radio waves can carry speech , data, music, pictures etc

Each base station provides coverage for a given area. Base stations can be a few hundred metres apart in major cities or several kilometres apart in rural areas. The transmitting power of any particular base station is variable and depends on several factors, including the number of calls and the distance between the base station and the mobile phones making the calls.

A base station is not necessarily associated with a mast. A mast is a free-standing structure that supports the antennas. A base station might equally consist of an equipment cabin and an antenna attached to a building or other structure.

Why do we need more?

As the number of people owning and using mobile phones grows, so more base stations are needed to carry the 'traffic'. New features enabled by 3G, such as internet access, e-commerce, and video services require more information or data to be transmitted. The transmission of large quantities of data will increase the requirement for base stations.

Other transmitters on Sitefinder

Network Rail uses GSM-R technology (a railway variant of GSM) to provide a national Railway Communications System enabling effective operational communications for those working on the railway, primarily between train drivers and signallers. This provides operational and safety benefits for rail passengers across the country.

Airwave is the network that provides secure voice and data communications for the Police and Emergency Services .

The Network Rail and Airwave systems are not available to public users.

What if a base station is not shown on the maps?

Only operational base stations and those that are in the process of being built are shown on the maps, so if a base station has only been recently built it may not show until the next update.

It is also possible that the station in question is used instead by one of the other types of radio user. These include radio and television broadcasters, utility companies, the emergency services, taxi companies, government services, aeronautical radio, and the paging industry.

I think that a base station is interfering with my TV reception

Ofcom’s advice about getting the best TV picture can be found at

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/complain/inter/

This site will also give information about asking Ofcom’s Investigation Service to check your TV installation for interference.

Planning

Does Sitefinder show planned base stations

No. Sitefinder does not show base stations going through the planning process.

Do all base stations need planning permission?

Not necessarily. Planning procedures vary across the UK regions and are subject to various National and Devolved Administration laws. Links to the most important documents are given in the Related Sites section. Ofcom does not have any statutory duties relating to planning and we can only give a summary of UK planning procedures.

Where can I get a list of planned sites for my local area?

The cellular operators provide Local Planning Authorities with annual rollout plans for proposed new base stations and some upgrades, details can be found at:

http://www.mobilemastinfo.com/information/fact_sheets/moa_annual_roll_out_a.pdf .

How do I express my concerns about a planned site?

You should contact the Local Planning Authority.

Do operators share sites?

Operators are entering into more and more site-sharing agreements where that is an attractive commercial option. However, limitations on site sharing include:

• Technology. In some cases, transmission frequencies from might interfere with each other;
• Coverage. A particular location may give good coverage for one operator, but not another;
• Visual impact. Site-sharing necessitates more than one antenna on a mast (or a cluster of masts) and often an increase in the height of the structure. This can be visually obtrusive and may not be what the local community wants to see.

However, a number of cellular operators have announced plans to share infrastructure where feasible and this may lead to a reduction in the overall numbers of masts that would otherwise be required to deploy their individual networks.

Exposure to Electro Magnetic Fields

Who is responsible for exposure guidelines at base stations?

The Health Protection Agency – Radiation Protection Division, (HPA), formerly known as the National Radiological Protection Board, has a statutory responsibility to give advice to Government on Electro-Magnetic-Fields (EMF) and health; this includes publishing guidelines for the safe exposure to EMF.

What are the exposure guidelines for base stations?

All UK base stations comply with the Radio Frequency (RF) public exposure guidelines published by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) as expressed in the EU Recommendation on public RF exposure http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/electr_equipment/lv/rec519.pdf and recommended by the UK Health Protection Agency http://www.hpa.org.uk/hpa/news/nrpb_archive/press_releases/2004/press_release_05_04.htm

What is ICNIRP?

ICNIRP is the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection. The ICNIRP guidelines for exposure to EMF “Guidelines for Limiting Exposure to Time-Varying Electric, Magnetic, and Electromagnetic Fields (up to 300 GHz), Health Physics Vol. 74, No 4, pp 494-522, 1998.” can be downloaded from www.icnirp.org/pubEMF.htm

Is compliance to the ICNIRP recommendation a legal requirement.

Please see the HSE statement on non ionizing radiation at
http://www.hse.gov.uk/radiation/nonionising/hse.htm.

The Audit/Measurement Programme

What is the Audit?

In May 2000 the IEGMP (Stewart Group) recommended, as a precautionary approach, the establishment of a programme of random technical audits of base stations. In response, the Government asked the Radiocommunications Agency, now Ofcom, to implement a national measurement programme, to ensure that emissions from mobile phone base stations do not exceed the ICNIRP guideline levels.

What does the audit assess?

The aim of the audit is to confirm that emissions from representative samples of mobile phone base stations are consistently far below the public exposure guideline levels set by ICNIRP. This is to reassure consumers and in all audits to date, no exposures greater than the ICNIRP levels have been found.

Will Ofcom look at every base station in the country?

No, Ofcom will accept requests to audit base stations, subject to availability of resources and will aim to distribute the audits evenly across the UK.

I consider my residence/business to be a sensitive site, can I register an application for an audit to be carried out?

Yes. Ofcom will consider requests for audits in places where there is unrestricted public access and concern about exposures. However, we cannot guarantee to respond to every request for an audit. We will continue prioritize schools and hospitals as proposed by the Stewart Report and places where there are base stations on the premises or nearby

How long will the audit take at each site?

Approximately 1 day.

Will Ofcom be publishing the results of the measurements?

The person requesting the audit will be provided with the results on the same day that the measurements take place. These results will be made available to the public via the Ofcom website.

How do I register?

You can apply directly to Ofcom via the online registration form which can be found at;

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/sitefinder/sitefinder

Alternatively, call our contact centre or write to us.

Ofcom
Riverside House
2a Southwark Bridge Road
London
SE1 9HA

Main Ofcom switchboard:

020 7981 3000

How much will an audit cost?

If your site is selected for inclusion in the audit the cost of the survey will be borne by Ofcom.

Will Ofcom make public the names of the schools and hospitals where measurements will be taken and the dates when the measurements will take place before a survey is completed?

Once the survey is complete the name of the school and hospital will be available with its results on the Ofcom website.

What if exposures had been found to be above the recommended guidelines?

Ofcom would take immediate action with the appropriate operator to rectify any fault. Note however, that this has never happened yet and successive audit results serve to reassure that exposures are well below the guideline levels.

Click here for the Sitefinder Phone Base Station Audit Request Form

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