The quasi-official Telecom Technology Center (TTC) said yesterday it would host a contest next month to find ideas to beautify base stations providing mobile phone or wireless services.
The contest is an initiative by the National Communications Commission (NCC) to educate the public about electromagnetic waves and to ease their fears about having a base station in their neighborhood.
SOFTER LOOK
Participants are asked to brainstorm ways to soften the cold and impersonal images of base stations. The base stations can either be designed to become part of the skyline or be decorated into a work of art.
The designs will be accepted between June 30 and Sept. 30 and winners will be announced in December.
NCC spokesperson Lee Ta-sung (李大嵩) said the commission would host a series of events on electromagnetic waves and base stations.
“NCC Chairwoman Bonnie Peng (彭芸) is very aware of the ‘not in my backyard’ phenomenon when it comes to installation of base stations, so she has made it one of the important issues to be addressed,” Lee said.
OVERSEAS EXPERIENCE
Lee cited his personal experience in Ottawa, Canada, where he hardly noticed the existence of base stations.
“The creative designs [of the base stations] made them part of the city’s skyline, and they didn’t affect the quality of the telecommunication either,” he said.
Statistics from the NCC showed that as of last month, the nation had a total of 12,273 base stations.
They include those offering 2G and 3G mobile phone services as well as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) service.
Last year, 1,516 cases were filed regarding the potential hazards caused by base stations. During the same year, 467 base stations were removed because of large community protests.
For more information about the contest, visit the TTC Web site www.oblue.com.tw/ttc.
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