Rules about new NBN base stations
State, territory and local governments approve where NBN Co. locates and installs free-standing NBN base stations.
Some NBN base stations may be a low-impact facility. The rules for these facilities are in Schedule 3 of the Telecommunications Act 1997 and the Telecommunications Code of Practice 2021.
NBN base stations are not the same as mobile phone towers. The rules on mobile phone towers do not apply to the NBN.
NBN and electromagnetic energy
NBN base stations use radiofrequency electromagnetic energy (EME).
NBN base stations must stay in safe EME limits. The Australian Radiation protection and Nuclear Safety Agency sets the safe limits.
Sometimes an NBN base station may be on the same site as a mobile phone tower. The total EME from that site must stay in the safe limits.
We have checked NBN base stations. The amount of EME from NBN base stations is 1/100 of the safe exposure limit. This means the EME from NBN base stations is very low and well below the safe limits.