iBurst base station woes
A WIRELESS internet provider has been forced to abandon its plans to build a 9m-high base station on the Melville-Westdene border, in Johannesburg.
This was after community members protested against iBurst building the station.
This is another incident in the ongoing conflict between community interests and the need for proper telecommunication infrastructure.
IBurst had already begun preparatory work on the site with hopes of providing better internet coverage to the area. The cancellation has proved to be expensive because of preliminary work already done, said Roderick Powell, site acquisition specialist for iBurst.
Anton von Wells, of Tekplan Environmental, hired by iBurst to do an environmental impact assessment, said it became clear after notifying the community that there were major concerns about the effect of radiation and the visual affect of the base station.
Jill Ferri, one of the community members who initiated a petition against the base station, said she and other residents were only looking out for the community’s wellbeing, especially that of children. “Parents don’t want their kids to spend all day next to the thing,” she said.
Callia Doucas, head of marketing at iBurst, said the company would move on. “We have to make sure everyone is happy about it.”
Powell said the company had been forced to consider building the base station next to the Vodacom base station in Melville. Doucas said this was often easier than finding a new location. “There is no new application process and you already know that coverage there is good.”
Property economist Francois Viruly said the situation showed the need to balance the need for telecommunications and the interests of property owners. “Having antennae is nothing new in SA, but it matters how it’s done.” Along with ensuring the building of base stations was environmentally safe, it was important to consider the visual effect of such structures because aesthetics could affect the value of a property, he said.
Viruly said better co-ordination between telecommunication companies would reduce the number of stations needed.
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