According to MyBroadband (5 November 2019), David Chen, VP of Huawei’s Southern African Region, said that South Africa’s current site approval systems might not be able to cope with the expected large volumes of 5G site applications.
For this reason, Chen believes that the site application process will need to be automated, and this needs to be done as soon as possible. (This reminds us of the FCC and the industry that tried the same tricks in the US).
Huawei’s “automation” is in stark contrast with a statement made by Western Cape Department of Health spokesman Mark van der Heever, who said that masts would not go up without public consultation (Weekend Argus, 9 November 2019 ). Mr van der Heever also stated that the levels of radiation would be closely monitored. We trust he included 5G small cells in his remarks.
The City of Cape Town seems to be siding with the industry. Although it is claimed that in some cases building plans will be required, we suspect that these will be pushed through as “minor building works‘, as we have experienced so often with macro sites. A cell tower placed at a primary school is a prime example.
5G will use both macro sites (cell towers) and small cells. Macro towers will have a mix of 4G and 5G antennas.
Huawei has just released its new 5G microwave “1+2” space-saving solution. With “1+2” 5G Microwave architecture, one dual band antenna can support any 2 frequency band running at 6-86GHz.
With Huawei’s “1+2” 5G Microwave architecture, one dual band antenna can support any 2 frequency band running at 6-86GHz. David Chen, Director of Marketing & Solution Sales for Huawei Southern Africa Region, says with this solution operators are able to fully explore cell towers to its maximum potential.
Loss of local control and decision making – a lesson from the United States:
In the United States the FCC has bulldozed local governments into streamlining the 5G development, resulting in numerous law suits. At least 20 U.S. municipalities are challenging a Federal Communications Commission rule limiting their autonomy in the roll out of 5G wireless networks. The lawsuits also cite perceived FCC overreach and removal of local control of decision-making. The measure would be “severely hindering local governments’ ability to fulfill our public health and safety responsibilities during the construction and modification” of cell sites, Brent Fedors, county administrator for Gloucester County, Va., wrote in a letter to the FCC.
Sources:
https://www.huawei.com/za/press-events/news/za/2019/huawe-new-5g-microwave-architecture