Guernsey Press

TV tower work to free up the airwaves for 5G

MAJOR engineering work is set to start on Les Touillets television tower next week as part of a national project to free up the airwaves for 5G.

Published
Les Touillets television tower in Castel is to undergo major engineering work next week. (Picture by Peter Frankland, 22533504)

Route de l’Eglise, Castel, is set to shut on Monday [17/9]for five days to allow the work to get started.

A Freeview spokesman said the work should not have an impact on the picture quality of the number of channels that islanders can receive.

‘Following a decision by the [UK] government, transmitters across the UK are being updated region by region as part of a major engineering programme to free up airwaves for the launch of 5G,’ he said.

‘The antenna replacement will be carried out using a 130-ton crane and is the first stage of the engineering work at Les Touillets, with the work scheduled to finish in March 2019. There will be no viewer impact this year. Once the airwaves are cleared in March 2019, some viewers may need to retune their TV equipment. We will be running an information campaign to prepare people for the change, including advertising and on-screen messages.’

The antenna – which stands close to Fairfield – is 45 metres tall.

‘[This] presents a number of challenges, including getting the equipment to that height,’ the spokesman said.

‘However, this is one of a number of similar activities across the UK and the teams are highly qualified, skilled and experienced to deliver a safe and successful outcome.’

5G is the next generation of mobile phone communication, which has faster download speeds than the existing 4G service. The Channel Islands Competition & Regulatory Authorities is set to hold a summit on the technology soon.

The road is set to reopen on Friday 21 September.