Another significant element is the growing demand for telecom services brought on by the rapid advancement of technology, which is propelled by the proliferation of smartphones, the adoption of broadband, and the digital migration.
Base Transceiver Stations (BTS), also called base stations, are an important part of the telecommunications infrastructure because they allow for dependable and quick voice and data transmission. They also support a wide range of applications, such as online gaming, video streaming, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
The need for telecom operators, infrastructure providers, and other stakeholders to be more aware of the impact of their activities cannot be overstated, however, because despite the fact that extensive scientific and medical research has not conclusively established any harmful health or environmental risks, people continue to have persistent concerns about potential health and environmental risks, among other risk factors, associated with base stations.
Furthermore, given the recent media reports that American Tower Corporation (ATC) plans to build new base stations within areas where we already have BTS sited by other infrastructural disasters like IHS Towers and Helios Towers, it is imperative that those involved in the nation's telecom sector redouble their commitment to environmental sustainability. This is because climate change is having an increasingly negative impact on human lives, the environment, and marine ecosystems.
In an effort to protect the environment, the federal government established rules for the installation of BTS sites that guarantee both environmental and public safety. Among other things, the standards provide that for the environment's and the people's safety, BTS installations must take place within a specific range of safety limits in a given site.
In particular, "operators shall take all reasonable steps to protect the safety of persons, property, and the environment in connection with the installation of their facilities," according to the Nigeria Communications Commission's (NCC) technical code and specifications on telecommunications equipment and facilities.
The NCC Guidelines on Technical Specifications for the Installation of Telecommunications Masts and Towers, which were published on April 9, 2009, require infrastructure businesses and telecom service providers to guarantee environmental and public health safety, as well as good engineering standards, at BTS locations.
According to the rules' Section 9(9)(c), tower setbacks must be five meters from any demised property, excluding fences. "All generators within a base station must be sited five meters away from all demised properties, excluding the fence," according to the standards.
Additionally, in order to lessen the impact of heat, smoke, and noise pollution from generating sets, all towers located within residential areas must adhere to the setback requirements outlined in the guidelines.”
The guidelines for telecom and broadcast operators regarding environmental safety-compliance of facilities were also prescribed by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), a federal agency that is in charge of enforcing environmental standards, rules, regulations, and policies.
According to Section 5(4)(1)(b) of the NESREA (Standards for Telecommunications and Broadcast Facilities), Regulations 2011, "all new facilities shall have a minimum setback of 10 meters from the perimeter wall of any premises to the base of the mast/tower," among other requirements. In the past, MTN Nigeria's base stations were sealed since they were installed at a distance of 1.2 meters, which is significantly less than the required industry standards.
The Federal Republic of Nigeria's 1999 Constitution (as amended) gives state governments the authority to impose environmental protection, underscoring the importance of both environmental and human safety. "States shall protect and improve the environment and safeguard the water, air, forest, and wildlife of Nigeria," among other things, is what Section 20 declares.
According to the language and spirit of these rules, infrastructure providers and telecom carriers are not allowed to build BTS in a way that puts Nigerians in danger or damages the environment. It follows that placing multiple BTSs in close proximity to one another may put Nigerians' health and environment at danger.
The impacted communities' noise levels will rise due to base station congestion. By regulation, each BTS works in a specific area with a maximum noise level. By placing more BTS there, the noise that they together contribute to the area exceeds the maximum levels that are allowed, resulting in noise pollution.
Air quality will probably decline. Every BTS operates within the limits of what can be released into the environment with gas waste. Because there will be more gas pollutants in the area with several BTS, the quality of the air will decline. An additional risk is the effect on soil. When many BTS are introduced to a certain area, the pH of the surrounding soil will change.
The need for more land, electricity, and resources to support additional base stations is another environmental risk concern. This may have an adverse effect on the ecosystem by causing habitat damage, higher energy use, and a larger carbon footprint.
Placing multiple BTSs in a given area may exacerbate people's fears and worries about the possible health risks connected to base stations. Increased exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) is thought to have the potential to cause long-term health effects, such as electromagnetic hypersensitivity, albeit this has not been scientifically or medically proven.
Low service quality, particularly inadequate connectivity, is one of the additional dangers involved. Poor network performance, including failed calls, sluggish data rates, and erratic connectivity, can be caused by congested base stations.
This can negatively impact a variety of companies and people who depend on a dependable network by impeding social communication and economic output.
More infrastructure development is frequently needed to address facility congestion, which may put a pressure on nearby resources and utilities.
This may result in an increase in the visual and environmental effects by requiring the installation of additional towers, cabling, and power sources.
The management and expansion of congested networks may result in increased operational expenses for telecom providers themselves.
Increased service fees could be one way for these costs to be passed on to customers. Additionally, because neglected and unserved communities may receive less attention, congestion might worsen the digital gap.
In some communities, this may impede socioeconomic development and restrict access to both economic and educational opportunities.
In summary, it is impossible to minimize the hazards to public health and the environment, as well as other socioeconomic issues brought on by the congestion of telecom base stations.
Hence, any telco or infrasco looking to invest in the sector should make sure such investment supports efforts by operators to minimize congestion and increase network efficiency, rather than building additional base stations that could add to the congestion of the current BTS sites around the nation.
In other markets that are looking ahead, carriers are making the most of base station placement and equipment upgrades by extending their reach to underserved and unserved areas in order to guarantee greater coverage.
The players in the Nigerian telecommunications industry ought to take a cue from operators operating in other regions and invest in cutting-edge technologies and creative solutions to handle the day-to-day problems that Nigerians confront, such as having access to reasonably priced, high-quality telecom services.
Abuja is home to health and safety activist Olawale Jimoh.