TETRA AIRWAVE, A Critical look at TETRA

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UK police sick of Tetra handsets
Officers complain of migraines and sleep problems

Nick Farrell, vnunet.com
18 Jul 2002

UK police are claiming that the new Tetra digital handsets are making them ill.

Nearly 200 officers involved in a pilot scheme in Lancashire and North Yorkshire have taken time off sick.

The coppers claim that the new Airwave radios induce migraines, sleeplessness and concentration problems.

The digital sets are due to be introduced nationwide by 2005 under a £2.9bn programme.

According to The Sun, the Home Office has agreed to carry out health checks.

A Home Office spokeswoman said: "We are taking a precautionary approach and have had advice from independent experts."

Steve Edwards, chairman of the Lancashire branch of the Police Federation, said: "It is worrying that so many officers believe they are suffering symptoms because of Airwave use.

"Nobody is saying these radios are unsafe, but we are being used as guinea pigs."

Some scientists are concerned that the handsets pulse at 17.6Hz, which is close to the 16Hz at which brain signals operate.

Alasdair Philips, of consumer group Powerwatch, said: "I believe that these new radios are dangerous. Previous studies have shown that Tetra-like pulses put brain cells under stress."

Source: http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2119506/...-tetra-handsets

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Police to sue over 'radio sickness'

By Nick Britten
06/05/2003

Police officers are preparing to sue their chief constable after claiming that their controversial new £3 billion radio system is making them seriously ill.

An unknown number of Lancashire officers have reported a string of medical complaints since the Tetra (Terrestrial Trunked Radio) system was introduced two years ago, and are now in talks with their legal representatives over lodging claims for compensation.


Tetra mast: health risk

Some claim to have suffered severe deafness, while migraines, nausea and body warming have also been regularly cited.

In a survey by the Lancashire Police Federation, more than 170 officers said they had suffered since the new system was introduced. One scenes-of-crime investigator is understood to have been diagnosed with a tumour.

The news of the proposed action will come as a blow to the Home Office, which is pushing the Tetra system hard but, after serious concerns were raised about its effect on health, has been forced to commission an independent study, carried out by experts at London's Imperial College.

Tetra has been promoted as offering a unified radio system for the emergency services, giving greater coverage and improved radio facilities. The Government insists the system is safe although it admits that it has never been fully tested.
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But concerns have been growing that the microwave radiation emissions from Tetra masts and handsets interfere with brain patterns because the signals pulse at 17.6Hz, close to the 16Hz at which brain signals operate.

Critics claim the Government is desperate to ensure the system, operated by O2 Airwave, is a success - at least 30 other countries are lined up to buy the technology from Britain.

People living near Tetra masts have complained of cancer clusters and other illnesses, and the police concerns highlight question marks over the safety of the handsets.

Steve Edwards, chairman of the Lancashire Police Federation, said: "In our questionnaire which we sent to all officers last year we asked whether they had suffered any adverse effects from Tetra and 177 replied that they had. Symptoms included migraines, nausea, vomiting, disruptive sleep patterns, body warming."

The number of Lancashire officers in discussion over the legal action is unclear, although Mr Edwards confirmed that at least one firm of solicitors had already been consulted.

He added: "It is good that a study into the effects of Tetra is being carried out, and the Home Office has told us that it will pull the plug on it if it is proved that there are adverse health effects, but for some people by the time that happens it will be too late and the proof of the pudding may be when somebody dies."

Officers from the South West and North Yorkshire forces have also complained of illness after using the handsets, which they often use continuously for up to 10 hours at a time. Eleven forces have received the system so far but the intention is to have it used by 53 forces in England and Wales by 2005.

Prof Colin Blakemore of Oxford University, who contributed to the Government's Stewart Report on the safety of mobile telecommunications, said the system was safe and that microwave radiation emitted from a Tetra handset was "1,000 times less" than that from a mobile telephone.

A spokesman for O2 Airwave said: "All handsets comply with international safety guidelines. The balance of scientific evidence is that there is no adverse health risk where these guidelines are complied with."

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml...6%2Fnradi06.xml

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Police blame radios for health problems

By Paul Stokes and Nic Fleming
18/07/2002

Police officers are to have their health monitored after nearly 200 blamed a variety of ailments on new communications radios.

Some complained of migraines, burning sensations, sleeplessness and lack of concentration after using European digital technology known as Terrestrial Trunk Radio or Tetra.

The system offers improved security and sound quality and is to be introduced to all police forces in England, Scotland and Wales by 2005 at a cost of £2.9 billion.
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Lancashire and North Yorkshire are the first counties to have completed the issue of the digital radios, which are linked to the Airwave Service run by 02, the former offshoot of BT.

Two senior government scientific advisers will attend a series of question and answer sessions with officers using the new equipment, which allows inter-force communication.

The first will be in Preston today with members of the Lancashire force, where 173 officers have reported ailments since using the new equipment.

The concerns were raised through a questionnaire sent to 3,400 members of the local Police Federation, while in neighbouring North Yorkshire 20 officers have reported health concerns.

Pc Steve Edwards, chairman of the Lancashire Police Federation, said: "Nobody is saying these radios are definitely unsafe, but neither do we know they are definitely safe. We are being used as guinea pigs."

Concern centres on the fact that signals received by Tetra radios pulse at 17.6Hz, close to the 16Hz at which brain signals operate.

Alasdair Philips, of the consumer group Powerwatch, said: "I believe these new radios are dangerous. Previous studies have shown that Tetra-like pulses put brain cells under severe stress by causing them to lose calcium ions.

"Cells under stress are more likely to develop cancer and dementia as defence mechanisms are damaged."

A Home Office spokesman said thye Department was aware of concerns raised by officers. He said: "We are doing a full research programme on health and safety on Tetra users. Independent scientific experts concluded that it is unlikely that Tetra poses any risk to the health of users, but they also recommended extra research."

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml...18/nradio18.xml

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Safety fear over new ambulance radios

By Nic Fleming, Medical Correspondent
20/07/2005

Ambulances are to be fitted with a new radio system that a government agency has said should be switched off near critical medical equipment.

A branch of O2, the communications company, won a £390 million contract yesterday to fit digital Airwave radios in all ambulances in England.

The system will provide better coverage for portable radios in rural areas as well as giving paramedics and control room operators improved communication with other emergency services.
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But the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency warned in a report in January that Airwave radios "should be switched off near critical care or life support medical equipment."

Three years ago the Medical Devices Agency, the MHRA's predecessor, said the system could interfere with pacemakers, defibrillators and ventilators.

Airwave is based on the Terrestrial Trunked Radio (Tetra) system that makes transmissions at a pulse frequency of 17.6 times per second (hertz).

In a Government-commissioned report in 2000, Sir William Stewart, the former chief scientist and now chairman of the Health Protection Agency, advised that frequencies close to 16Hz should be avoided until future research was carried out.

Some research has suggested a possible effect on the central nervous system because brain signals operate at 16Hz.

Last year Sir William said the jury was still out on the safety of the system.

In 2002, the MDA found that Tetra-based handsets interfered with some medical equipment that was not affected by mobile telephones.

The Department of Health said that MHRA advice was taken into account before awarding the contract.

The MHRA said that while the agency recognised that Airwave handsets could interfere with equipment, the health benefits to patients of better communication outweighed any potential dangers.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml...home.htmlSafety

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Leicester Mercury: http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk

POLICE: EXPERTS SAY SYSTEM MEETS SAFETY STANDARDS

Officer’s radio survey reveals health fears

By Jon DI PAOLO

A policeman has revealed a catalogue of illnesses his colleagues claim they have suffered since they started using a controversial radio system.

PC Guy Hubbard launched a survey of officers' health follow­ing the death of his friend, PC Neil Dring, last year. PC Dring's family blamed the new Airwave radio system he used day to day for triggering the cancer that killed him. PC Hubbard's survey asked of­ficers to fill in an anonymous questionnaire detailing any health problems they had de­veloped since starting to use the handsets. He stressed the survey was not scientifically rigorous because, although he sent out hundreds of questionnaires, he only re­ceived about 100 replies.

However, he said numerous complaints of symptoms such as high blood pressure, nosebleeds and inability to sleep properly included in the replies were cause for concern. Officers also told him they had suffered headaches, nausea and even non-cancerous growths since the Airwave system was brought in.

Concerns have been raised that pulsed microwave radi­ation beamed out by the hand­held sets may damage cells in the body, but Government sci­entists have dismissed the claims.

PC Hubbard said: "I don't know whether Neil died as a result of using Airwave, but I'm worried. "I'd like to not have to use it, but that's not going to happen." Neil's brother Ian Dring said some of the symptoms de­scribed by police matched those his brother had complained about before he died.

He said: "It confirms Neil was not an isolated incident and it's great cause for concern. "

PC Hubbard and other cam­paigners nationwide are con­sidering mounting a legal chal­lenge to allow officers to choose whether they use the system. Tetra - short for Terrestrial Trunked Radio - is the name for a certain type of digital radio technology. Airwave is the Tetra-based system used by UK police.

A spokesperson for Leicester­shire police said: "If Leicester­shire Constabulary thought that Airwave posed a health risk to officers, the force would withdraw the equipment as soon as possible.

"The force has sought advice from the foremost experts on Tetra technology in the world and the scientific and medical evidence obtained states that Airwave meets all national, European and international health and safety standards. "Disappointingly, despite be­ing invited to work with the con­stabulary on this matter, PC Hubbard has not shared the findings of his questionnaire with the force.

"We understand only 100 peo­ple responded and unless the questionnaire was conducted to scientific principles, and with strong control measures, the findings could be open to ques­tion.

"We would invite PC Hubbard to share his findings with us, so that the results can be ex­amined by experts."

Dr Grahame Blackwell, who campaigns for greater openness over mobile phones and health issues, said the findings of the unofficial survey were worry­ing and mirrored illnesses seen in people living near masts set up for Airwave. He said: "What the police need to do is seriously, openly and ob­jectively investigate this."

A spokesperson for 02 Air­wave declined to comment on the survey as the company. not seen the results.

Earlier this year, the Mercury put in a Freedom of Information request which asked to reveal the locations of the Tetra masts. It was declined on the grounds of policing purposes.

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Block school mast - parents

Nov 18 2003

Neil Elkes, Birmingham Evening Mail

Parents were today urged to fight against ANOTHER phone mast planned next to a city primary school.

A site earmarked by telecom giant O2 for the Tetra mobile network is next to Dorrington Road School, in Perry Barr, and parents are worried children could be exposed to microwave radiation.

The Tetra network being rolled out to police forces all over the UK has already sparked health concerns from the Police Federation.

O2 wants to put the mast on an industrial site in Baltimore Road at the back of the school.

The company has already caused controversy in Kings Heath by using an "emergency" loophole to put a mast next to a day nursery after the council refused planning permission.

Concerned parent Chris Smith said: "The erecting of phone masts right, left and centre is a worrying trend, with companies able to abuse legal loopholes to put them where they like.

"This is a ridiculous place to put a mast so close to a local school."

The issue is to be discussed at the Perry Barr ward meeting at the school next Monday at 7.15pm and O2 has been invited to send a representative.

Several hundred parents and residents have signed petitions raised by local Labour Party and Liberal Democrat activists.

Perry Barr ward chairman, Coun Jon Hunt said: "We have asked O2 to send their representative to tell us how this Tetra system differs from other mobile phone masts.

"I understand the frequency is very close to that used by the human brain and we are opposed to it being so close to the school."

Coun Hunt urged anyone concerned to attend next week's meeting.

No-one at O2 was available for comment.

Source: http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/0100ne...ll&siteid=50002

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The mast crusaders

Mandy's children are having nosebleeds. Andy sleeps with metal plates by his bed. Beat bobbies are reporting strange illnesses. They all blame the new police radio system

By Terry Kirby
Published: 23 November 2004

The ill-fated Cornish revolt of 1497 began in the pretty, isolated village of St Keverne on the Lizard peninsula, as a protest over unjust taxes levied by London. Now, its population has rebelled once more against an idea imposed from afar, which they believe could have been far more damaging than any mere financial loss.

The ill-fated Cornish revolt of 1497 began in the pretty, isolated village of St Keverne on the Lizard peninsula, as a protest over unjust taxes levied by London. Now, its population has rebelled once more against an idea imposed from afar, which they believe could have been far more damaging than any mere financial loss.

This time the population has had more success than in 1497, when its leaders were executed. They have won their point and become one of the few communities in the country to be without a Tetra radio mast. "It's not as though we aren't already chock-a-block with radio masts and aerials around here: there's the BT Satellite Earth Station at Goonhilly, and RAF Culdrose up the road," says John Gough, spokesman for the anti-Tetra campaigners. "But when we saw they were going to put up a Tetra mast, we decided to find out about it on the internet. We were immediately very concerned." More than 350 people out of a total population of only 1,600 lodged objections to the local planning committee, which rejected the application to erect the 50ft-high mast on farmland near the village.

It was the experiences of others elsewhere that motivated the St Keverne campaign. They learnt of stories like that of Andy Davidson in Worthing who, suffering headaches and insomnia, had to sleep with metal plates around his head; and of the 80 people around Dursley in the Cotswolds who claim to have suffered similar problems, one of whom has covered her bedroom windows with metal mesh to stop the symptoms. They also learnt of Mandy Keeling and her family in Bognor Regis, whose sickness and sleeplessness ended when the local Tetra mast was taken down.

You may not have heard of Tetra masts, but there's almost certainly one near you. If not, it's on the way. Tetra - Terrestrial Trunked Radio - is the new police communications network that is replacing their outdated, unreliable VHF system. It gives officers a mobile phone and two-way radio in the same handset, and is being implemented around the country by O2 Airwave, previously part of BT, which has a £2.9bn, 15-year contract with the Home Office to supply all 51 forces in England, Wales and Scotland through a network of around 3,500 masts. Around 40 forces have been supplied so far, but the system will not be fully operational until May 2006.

Around 70 per cent of Tetra masts have been, or will be, built on sites already in use; some replace old masts, others are added to existing ones. The remainder are new masts, such as St Keverne, requested by police to improve communications in remote areas. The Home Office says it chose the Tetra system, which is used in 65 countries, in preference to others such as the French-based Tetrapol, used in about 28 countries, because it is technically superior. It was criticised by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee for failing to incorporate financial safeguards in case the health fears proved justified, and by the EC for refusing to accept tenders from non-Tetra operators.

But the programme's completionnext year is unlikely to be the end of Tetra installations. O2 Airwave is short-listed for the contracts to supply the fire and ambulance services; this may lead to further masts. If Airwave is not awarded the multimillion-pound contracts when the decisions are announced over the next two months, it will be seen as a victory for anti-Tetra campaigners and evidence of a lack of official faith in the Tetra network.

Although the health fears surrounding Tetra are linked to concerns about mobile-phone masts, the symptoms that affect some people appear consistent - sleep deprivation, nausea, headaches, ear pressure, nosebleeds. They seem to stop when the Tetra exposure ends. They occur, it is claimed, because the masts transmit and receive signals on the 400 MHz frequency, which are pulsed at 17.65Hz. In 2000, the Government's report on mobile-phone safety by Sir William Stewart, a former chief scientific adviser, recommended that frequencies around 16Hz - the frequency at which the human brain transmits signals - be avoided as a precaution, even though there was no confirmed health risk.

Campaigners say the apparent link between cause and effect underlines their concerns about Tetra. In Bognor Regis 44-year-old Mandy Keeling began to vomit last New Year's Eve. "It was the day, I later learnt, that the Tetra mast 150 yards from my home began transmitting. I had two months of nausea, headaches and poor sleep. Doctors could do nothing. Then I heard about the mast. I was cynical about it at first. I thought, 'Pull yourself together.' I've lived here for 12 years, and there are other mobile masts, but none had made my brain vibrate." By now her two sons, aged nine and 19, were suffering, too; the younger one had nosebleeds.

She went knocking on doors and discovered neighbours had been affected as well. They campaigned to have the mast taken down; eventually, the company agreed. The mast was dismantled in May. Keeling was transformed: "I felt better within a month, and we're all perfectly healthy now. Except when I go near a Tetra mast somewhere else."

What seems clear is that, if Tetra does have an affect, it is only triggered in those who are sensitive to low-frequency radio waves are directly exposed. After months of sleeplessness and headaches, Andy Davidson's solution was to take a couple of metal plates and place them around his pillow to block out the signals from the transmitter across the playing-field; both the mattress and the plates were earthed. It worked. "It may be strange, but it's the only way I can get a decent night's sleep," he says. But his wife and children have not suffered, and a survey of more than 400 local people showed that, while around 40 per cent had suffered from sleeplessness and/or headaches since the mast arrived, everyone else was OK. Davidson is now moving house.

His case is one of hundreds of examples collected by Tetrawatch, the national campaign against Tetra, which has gathered force as Tetra has been rolled out around the country over the past three years. Tetrawatch argues that the system is untested; is being imposed secretively; is shunned by many other European countries, including France; and that health fears are being underplayed by the Government in the same way that, say, the link between CJD and BSE was in the early 1990s.

John O'Brien, the spokesman, stressed that the Tetra system in this country is different to both Tetrapol and other Tetra systems elsewhere, because to meet police requirements it uses the pulsed technique, which is feared to create the symptoms. "This is an untried and untested system. There is something different about this type of Tetra system compared with other mobile transmissions systems, and that is why we're worried about it." And concern isn't confined to people living near base stations - a number of landowners, including Lord Cowdray and the Duke of Norfolk, have refused to allow Tetra masts on their land.

And then there are the police officers, who are being exposed every day. When Tetra first began, the Police Federation, which represents lower-ranking officers, commissioned a report by an independent physicist, Barrie Trower. He predicted the occurrence of cancers resulting from Tetra and warned that the system could lead to "more civilian deaths in peacetime than all the terrorist organisations put together". But it was too late. Tetra was already being rolled out around the country.

One of the first forces to go "live" was Lancashire, in 2001. Within a short space of time, more than 170 officers out of a force of 3,500 were reporting the typical symptoms. But, says Steve Edwards, chairman of the local branch of the Police Federation, complaints have tailed off. "If my members were suffering on a daily basis, they would be knocking on my door every day. They are not. Opinion is divided. I can't tell members it's safe, but I can't say it's definitely going to damage their health."

But concerns remain. In Leicestershire, PC Neil Dring, an otherwise healthy motorcycle officer, suffered headaches and nosebleeds soon after being issued with his Tetra handset. He developed oesophageal cancer and died this summer. His family believe the cancer was linked to his handset, which he wore strapped to his body. Another officer in the force has also developed the same relatively unusual cancer.

It is not, says Steve Edwards, as though the Tetra handset is even the answer to all police communication needs. "Tetra hasn't delivered yet. It's encrypted, so it's more secure than VHF, but it can't yet do all the things we were told it would, like send photos, link to the police national computer, or allow communication between officers in different forces. We hope it will be better when the whole system is up and running."

Medical opinion is divided. On one side are the "establishment" scientists, such as Professor Colin Blakemore, chief executive of the Medical Research Council, who say there's no evidence that Tetra is unsafe; on the other, independent consultants such as Dr Gerard Hyland, a former head of physics at the University of Warwick, who believe otherwise. "We could be seeing a pandemic of brain tumours in 10 years," he told The Ecologist recently. Earlier this year, the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB), the independent watchdog, concluded: "Although areas of uncertainty remain about the biological effects of low-level RF radiation... current evidence suggests it is unlikely that the special features of signals from Tetra mobile terminals and repeaters pose a hazard to health."

Curiously, The Ecologist pointed out, there is now what some see as evidence of official backtracking on the Stewart report. Professor Blakemore, a member of the NRPB's advisory group and the Stewart committee, said16Hz radio waves provide "no cause for alarm. I still hold to both of my previous statements. In principle, it would have been better if 16Hz pulsing could have been avoided. But that was said in the context of the strict precautionary approach of the Stewart report." Professor Lawrie Challis, deputy chairman of the Stewart committee, said the 16Hz warning was made in recognition of the existence of "unreplicated research from the 1970s", and there was "no evidence that 17.65Hz modulation of the emission from Tetra phones would lead to any adverse health effects".

Tetrawatch questions the NRPB's independence from the vested interests of the Home Office and the mobile-phone industry. Answering the criticisms, Home Office ministers and Airwave cite the technical virtues of Tetra, and refer health concerns to the conclusions of the NRPB. The Home Office says some symptoms suffered are, like those associated with mobile-phone masts, often related to stress caused by a perception of risk, rather than the reality; whether some people are genuinely sensitive to certain radio waves, it says, must be the subject of further research. It has also commissioned a 10-year study of police handsets by Imperial College London. But Tetrawatch says if its fears are justified, any results will come too late.

Airwave adds that gaining the fire and ambulance contracts would help to provide an integrated national system with only "minimal" increase in the number of masts; that it operates within recommended NRPB safety levels; and that the handsets pulse, the masts do not. But such assurances are not enough for Mandy Keeling: "If a food you could buy on the high street had all these concerns raised about it, it'd be off the shelves straight away."

Back in St Keverne, John Gough, a 69-year-old retired research chemist, believes they have saved the village from an experiment with uncertain consequences: "I'm a scientist and was a radar mechanic in the Army, so I know a bit about radiation. Nobody can give us any assurances about the long-term effects of low-level frequencies, and I don't see why anybody, anywhere, should be used as a guinea pig for this."

Source: http://news.independent.co.uk/health/article21503.ece

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Gobby Coppers Meet PFI



Just one hello in future!

BOM correspondent NW draws our attention to this hilarious report in the Northampton Chronicle and Echo:

"CHATTY constables will be handed a special CD encouraging them to use shorter words and sentences . . . as they are spending too much time on their police radios.

Officers are currently running up sky-high costs for cash-strapped Northamptonshire Police by spending too much time on their walkie-talkies, with a recent survey revealing bobbies had found more than 100 different ways of saying 'yes'.

A special CD called "Airwave Speak" will be introduced in Northamptonshire in coming months, to try to persuade officers to use shorter words to cut down talk time. Supt Bob Smart said: "In a recent survey of several forces they found 100-plus ways of saying 'affirmative' – all of which take considerable more air space than just saying 'yes'."

Ho, ho! How jolly rib-tickling. What would they do with the Laughing Policeman, eh?

Except of course, if you're a taxpayer you won't be laughing at all. Because this is just the latest reminder of the police radio saga, a £3bn plus tale of Simple Shopping for boys' toys.

Back in the nineties, the Home Office decided that the old analogue police radios were no longer up to the job, and the cops needed to move into the digital age.

Now, you and I might have gone down Carphone Warehouse, and done a deal on a couple of lorryloads of Nokias. But in time honoured tradition, the HO decided they needed a whole new dedicated comms network, with its own microwaves and 3000 dedicated masts across the land.

So they went to O2 and bought one. It is called Airwave.

We won't go into all the ins and outs here, but suffice it to say, the HO didn't get a great deal. When the National Audit Office investigated, they found that because O2 had been the only bidder (contrary to EU rules), there had been a "lack of competitive tension", so it was virtually impossible to say if the deal had been value for money (meaning- taxpayers got ripped off).

Moreover, although a key part of the original "business case" had been that the new bespoke network was to be used by the police, fire and ambulance services, both fire and ambulance actually went their own way. In a classic display of "not invented here"/non-joinedupedness, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister opted out the fire service, and the Department of Health opted out the ambulance service. So potential economies of scale were missed.

Now the cost of this thing- in total money payments over the 19 year period of the PFI contract- was put at £2.9bn (see PAC report here). But that was only for the basic network provision. "Extras"- like buying the handsets and actually using the system- were all on top.

Now you may smell a teensy weensy problemette with that arrangement. Surely, you say, shhuuurrely once the police are committed to the monopoly Airwave system, the operator would have them over a barrel. They could pretty well charge what they liked, irrespective of how the price wars might be driving down tariffs in the commercial mobile market.

And guess what... that's pretty well what's happening. In fact, Northampton Deputy Chief Constable Davina Logan actually uses the term "over a barrel".

Moreover, now the network is up and running- paid for by us- O2 are able to sell the service to other public sector users and build revenue which they keep.
The police authorities are now putting understandable pressure O2 to cut their charges. BOM's correspondent suggests they might just be prepared to do that, but only in exchange for even greater freedom to sell the service to premium customers from the private sector. Since this is a superior network, with excellent 99% national coverage, that could work. But what would then happen in the event of a 7/7 style emergency with the police wanting other users barred? Who'd have to pay the thousands in compensation?
As things stand, Airwave is such a docile heavy milking cash cow, Telefonica- its current owner- has recently put it up for sale. Likely buyers include private equity players, who would gear it up to the udders and walk away with a nice juicy pile of cash. They could do that because as the Times commented:

"The business offers recurring revenue streams in the form of its long-term contracts with the Government and other parties. Analysts believe that at present Airwave — which in 2005 secured earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and appreciation of £72 million, up from £1 million in the previous year — could fetch up to £2 billion."

Those long-term recurring revenue streams? Well, that's us my friends.

PS On BOM we follow the money, but we should also note that the Airwave system is highly controversial for other reasons too. Quite apart from the erection of yet more landscape disfiguring masts, there are serious concerns about safety. Airwave uses a transmission technology called TETRA- Terrestrial Trunked Radio- and the organisation TetraWatch is dedicated to highlighting its risks and opposing its use. They reckon that "the system uses pulsed microwave radiation, at a pulse frequency of 17.6Hz, which is very close to a key frequency of electrical activity in the human brain at 16Hz (our beta brain waves are around 13Hz to 20Hz)". Which apparently makes it a serious health risk, both for police officers using the sets, and for those living near the masts.

PPS The whole Airwave project was driven through by an old friend of BOM's- Sir John Gieve, the ex-Perm Sec at the Home Office, who for obvious reasons was relieved of his responsibilities at the shambolic HO... but only to be rewarded with the post of Deputy Governor at the Bank of England

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Appeal over police masts radio

Tetra will replace existing radio systems by 2005
Residents worried about the health risks of new police radio transmitters are to lodge a protest petition with the Scottish Parliament.


Tetra will replace existing radio systems by 2005

They are campaigning against a new £2.5 bn system, known as Tetra - Terrestrial Trunked Radio - which is currently being introduced throughout the UK to improve police communications.

Although hailed as cutting-edge technology, some experts have raised health concerns about the new transmitters the radio system requires.

Tetra masts pulse at 17.6Hz which is very close to the 16Hz frequency the government's Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones warns might affect brain activity.

Some studies have suggested that radio waves around this frequency could cause calcium to leak from the brain, triggering damage to the nervous and immune systems.

Fife resident Diana Frew is one of the campaigners asking the parliament to intervene over the introduction of Tetra masts to the area.

She said: "The safety guidelines which exist for mobile phones do not apply to Tetra.

"Scientists and tests have confirmed that Tetra masts pulse at 17.6Hz, a frequency known to produce adverse health effects.

"The long-term impact of living close to a Tetra mast is just not known, and we are not prepared to take the risks for ourselves or our children."

Green MSP Mark Ruskell, who represents Mid-Scotland and Fife, has tabled a motion calling for the introduction of the masts to be suspended.

'Proper standards'

He said: "We all want an effective system of communication for the emergency services, but if that system has risks for police personnel and the public then it's an absolute non-starter.

"With such widespread public and scientific concern, we should not be even contemplating the introduction of the Tetra system into Scotland until all the evidence has been scrutinised by the parliament and proper standards developed."

Alison Mackay, who lives 200m from a proposed mast site on Tarvit Hill near Cupar, added: "These masts are not safe, and the Scottish Executive needs to test them against adequate safety standards before they are unleashed on the public."

The Scottish Executive said guidance had been issued to councils on taking health considerations into account during applications for radio masts.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3013834.stm