5G was supposed to be a revolution. So far in 2020, it’s not even been a great evolution.

December 15, 2020

By Vlad-Gabriel Anghel, DCPRO

We are reaching the end of 2020, a tumultuous year that saw us realign our priorities, re-imagine our surroundings and adapt to a new way of living – at least for the duration of the pandemic.

This was supposed to be the year in which 5G hit the big time, with wide rollout, breakneck speeds and huge bandwidth. And while it has appeared in certain instances, it seems that the real world results of 5G are, at best, underwhelming, and at worst offer no improvement over former generations of mobile communications.

Historically, rollout of different generations of mobile networks has always taken several years. And while 5G standards are adopted at a quicker rate thanks to some level of interoperability between this and prior network standards, the near snail’s pace of true stand-alone 5G rollout is starting to dent the idea that 5G will reshape industries and markets.

There are two variants of 5G: non-stand-alone (NSA) and stand-alone (SA) architecture. The majority of current deployments have been of the non-stand-alone variant, a variant which relies on LTE (“4G”) for its control channels.

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There should have been a proper application followed by a public particpation process. Because the proper procedures were not followed, public objections to an unlawfully erected tower have preceded what should have been an application. Anyone involved in the construction of a cell tower are well aware of the proper procedure, so ignorance does not apply here.

Apart from the houses surrounding the Church, there is also a daycare directly across the road.

The surrounding residents are adamant that a slap on the wrist and a fine will not suffice. Neither will an application for a tower that is already in place. This tower has to come down, and soon.

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The response is a unanimous objection to this application for several reasons, including the negative impact on health and the aesthetics of the town.

Preston residents have objected to the a telecommunications mast and base station being constructed in the area.

An application was made to Umdoni Municipality for special consent in terms of the Spatial Planning Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA Act No. 16 of 2013).

The mast and base station are to be constructed at 21 Preston Road, Park Rynie where the Old Apostolic church is.

The time to comment on the proposal is now over, but ward councillor, Eddie Baptie, managed to put together a public meeting last Wednesday, just before the cut-off time, at which he objected to this application and so did several other residents.

Councillor Baptie’s reasons for objection:

1. In terms of the SPLUMA bylaws it is a requirement for the ward councillor to be given notice of proposed town planning amendments, for comment. Such notice was not served. Unless it can be shown otherwise, this avoidance is considered to be a deliberate attempt to curtail the rights of citizens and their legal representative.

2. I have studied the application and see no reason or motivation to exceed building lines. This request therefore appears to be arbitrary and intended to defeat the purpose of building lines in the Land Use Management Scheme (LUMS).

3. Erf 577 Park Rynie is zoned ‘Residential Only 3’ and the application use, a telecommunications mast and base station, is not permitted under special consent in this zone. This application should therefore be dismissed on grounds that it cannot conform to the provisions of the LUMS and would constitute an illegal structure if erected. Should the applicant aver that this use is permitted then the applicant must show this to be the case in terms of the definitions and other provisions in the LUMS. It is my specific request that the senior planner provide an explanation how this proposed structure could be interpreted as one of the special consent uses.

4. I have had extensive engagements with residents of Park Rynie and arranged a public meeting (last week) to provide opportunity for their expression, and to provide information on the process. The response is a unanimous objection to this application for numerous reasons, including the negative impact on health and the negative impact on the amenity and aesthetics of the town. As the elected representative of these residents I must add their objections to those as stated above.

Umdoni Municipality was asked to comment, but had not provided any feedback at the time of writing.

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