Written Answer by Ministry of National Development on installation of mobile phone base stations

Nov 7, 2016

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry will review the planning process for the installation of mobile phone base stations to enable such stations to be built during a building's construction stage and make mobile coverage a mandatory compliance for that building's Temporary Occupation Permit. 

Answer: 

Adequate mobile coverage should be provided to new buildings in a timely manner. Currently, Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) install mobile base stations on the rooftops of selected new HDB blocks to ensure that the area will have good mobile coverage when the residents move in. However, there could be operational delays, such as construction delays to blocks selected for base station installation.

HDB has been working with all stakeholders, including Town Councils, IMDA and MNOs, to study how to expedite the installation of such base stations. For example, HDB and IMDA are looking into the possibility of expediting approval procedures between MNOs and Town Councils. HDB and IMDA are also exploring the possibility of incorporating MNOs’ infrastructure and engineering requirements during the pre-tender planning phase of new HDB developments, so that the subsequent physical base station installation works could be accelerated. 

Finally, MCI and IMDA are considering amendments to the Telecommunications Act to facilitate the use of rooftop space of one building to provide mobile coverage in another building. If implemented, it will be easier for MNOs to deploy their equipment on the rooftops of adjacent buildings to improve mobile coverage of a particular area. 

Given these ongoing efforts, there may not be a need to mandate mobile coverage as a TOP condition for each new building. Ultimately, it is more important to ensure close and effective co-operation among all the relevant stakeholders, which go beyond the developer of the building project.