We cooperate with other networks to share sites and limit the overall number needed. This helps to reduce environmental impacts, relieve pressure on planning authorities with fewer sites to review, and reduce our costs by between five and 25 percent.
Communities often support the idea of shared sites to reduce the need for additional structures in their area. However, shared sites are often larger as they need to accommodate several operators’ equipment and may therefore present more challenges on integrating sites into the landscape. They also carry more traffic, which can increase concern regarding the exposure to radio frequency fields and potential adverse health effects. See Mobiles, masts and health.
Types of network sharing
There are three types of network sharing: passive, active and regional roaming (see diagram):
- Passive: we share the same site and equipment such as poles, cables, electrical and air-conditioning units as another operator, but not the same network equipment (such as antennas).
- Active: we share site infrastructure and network equipment with other operators.
- Regional roaming: we keep our base station sites and equipment separate, but our network interacts with that of the other operator so customers’ phones can connect through either network. This is particularly useful in remote areas.
The majority of our network sharing is 'passive'. 'Active' network sharing arrangements are much more difficult to agree due to technical issues and the need to establish a high level of trust between competitor operators.
