The proposed Richborough mast will use radio waves in the microwave spectrum to transmit
data between the UK and continental Europe.
Microwave radio transmission is commonly used in point-to-point communication systems on
the surface of the Earth and in satellite communications. It is a commonly used technology
for transmitting digital and analog signals, such as long-distance telephone calls, television
programs, and computer data, between two locations on a line of sight radio path. There are
currently in excess of 30,000 Microwave Links operating across the UK.
The technology is widely used for point-to-point communications because the small
wavelength allows conveniently-sized antennas to direct them in narrow beams, which can
be pointed directly at the receiving antenna.
The first microwave relay link across the English Channel between Dover and Calais was
created in 1931.
British Telecom (formerly the GPO) has operated an extensive point-to-point microwave
network across the UK since the early 1950s, the most famous example of which is the BT
Tower in central London. For several decades it provided the backbone of the UK’s trunk call
network until the recent growth of fibre optic cabling.
The transmission dishes on the Richborough mast will be located at approximately 100
metres or higher above the ground and will direct a signal to connecting locations across the
English Channel to Europe and mainland UK. The frequencies in use are fully licensed by
Ofcom. An ICNIRP certificate will also be submitted with the planning application
demonstrating full compliance with safe emissions standards.
The use of microwave radio transmission has been certified safe for over half a century by
organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), UK telecoms regulators
(OFCOM and predecessors), Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the US Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) and UK health charities such as Cancer Research.
Extensive academic health studies world-wide, have demonstrated no adverse health effects
linked to the use of microwave radio technology.
December 2015