The 2021 independent audit of Guernsey’s mobile mast sites confirms that emissions remain within internationally recognised safe levels for the General Public.
The audit, commissioned by the Guernsey Competition & Regulatory Authority (GCRA), was carried out by consultants Freshwave during September.
18 single and multi-operator test sites were chosen in urban and rural locations across Guernsey, Alderney and Sark, and all were found to be well below the safety limits for the public advised by internationally recognised standards, which are laid down by the International Commission for Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). ICNIRP emission standards are recognised by the World Health Organisation and are used within the EU and other regions as a benchmark against which to measure the safety of radio-frequency emissions.
Looking at the mast audit results for the last three years, Freshwave conclude that all the sites tested remain safe and are consistently well within ICNIRP recommended guideline levels, but a small number of sites registered slightly higher emissions than others. The majority of sites in rural areas recorded low emissions levels.
Michael Byrne, CEO of the GCRA, said: “The annual audit of mobile mast emissions is an important area of our work, not only to ensure that operators remain within permitted levels but also to give Islanders reassurance that our mobile infrastructure meets internationally accepted standards.
“Technology is changing rapidly and over the coming years, for example with the introduction of 5G, and we will ensure that our monitoring and measurement adapts accordingly.”
