Free wifi in the Tenants and Residents Association halls and faster mobile / broadband access

Overview

Free wifi in the Tenants and Residents Association halls and faster mobile / broadband access

We would like to share what we think is an exciting opportunity for Camden residents and local businesses and we would welcome your feedback and thoughts on the initiative.

The Proposal

We want to speed up broadband and mobile coverage in the borough, by upgrading the telecommunications infrastructure.

We also want to get wifi access on to our estates to give more people access to the internet and social media. We are proposing to fit wifi connections in 74 Tenants and Residents Association (TRA) Halls that will provide wireless hotspots across the whole Borough which can be used for homeworking clubs, housing drop ins and support TRA activities

By increasing telecoms coverage in the Borough we are also helping local businesses and suppliers who need high speed internet access, at low cost if they are to be competitive in a digital economy. At the moment, there are serious problems in the south of the Borough, for example, with the availability of high speed broadband services.

How we will do this

At the moment there are around 370 telecommunications masts in Camden, only 12 of these are on council blocks generating income for Camden residents. The other 358 masts are on blocks belonging to private landlords. This means we are potentially losing out on hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of income every year.

Camden is proposing to take the initiative with the telecommunications companies to ensure that the next round of installations in the Borough deliver benefits to residents and businesses in the Borough. From market research, we estimate that telecommunications companies want to install around 60 new masts on Camden properties (such as council offices, estate rooftops, or recreation facilities) which will generate around £600,000 a year of income, primarily benefitting the Housing Revenue Account. This income stream is likely to grow as demand for capacity continues and new services are made available

With the network operators investing more in telecommunications infrastructure, more of the Borough’s residents will also benefit from better mobile phone signals and a reduction in the number of black spots in the Borough.

The traditional look of telecom equipment is 15m tall masts with multiple antennas and dishes. This is no longer the case and equipment is becoming much smaller and less obtrusive, installations are typically 2.5m tall and take up the same room as a garden shed. In conservation areas the masts are shrouded to blend in with the building, for example placing them behind mock chimney stacks.

For any sites that are proposed we will proactively engage tenants and leaseholders to ensure that local views and feedback are taken into account as part of any installation.

We will ensure that any installations conforms to all relevant health and safety requirements, will not blight the building and will be implemented with the minimum of disruption to affected areas.

For more information read the Frequently Asked Questions document below. There are also pictures of current and typical installations and a glossary of terms used in the telecoms industry.

Feedback

We would welcome your comments about the proposals in advance of the Cabinet meeting. This can be done by emailing digitalconnectivity@camden.gov.uk

Cabinet will be discussing the initiative on the 21st October.

Useful Websites

The London Infrastructure Plan 2050 launched by the Mayor of London

https://www.london.gov.uk/priorities/business-economy/vision-and-strategy/infrastructure-plan-2050

Department for Culture Media and Sport – digital communications infrastructure strategy

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-digital-communications-infrastructure-strategy

Ofcom – general information from the telecoms regulator

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/

World Health Organisation – factsheet on public health: mobile phones

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs193/en/