New Radio Emissions Monitoring Service
Friday 30 March 2007

Joe Moore,Director of OpenAccess, Vilicom, Minister Tom Parlon and Jim Dowling, Head of the School Electronic Engineering

A new service aimed at monitoring radio emissions from mobile phone masts/base stations and similar installations was launched on Wednesday, March 28, 2007 by Minister of State, Tom Parlon T.D., in Dublin City University. Called OpenAccess, the service represents a world first for Ireland, and will make it possible for any individual, interest group, business or organisation to commission and observe radio emission in any part of the country in a uniquely open and transparent way.

DCU’s Dr Conor Brennan commenting about the School of Electronic Engineering’s involvement in OpenAccess said: “We are delighted to be part of what we see as a public service and a much needed initiative. When concerns arise about a mobile or similar radio installation there is often no way of easily monitoring radio emissions in an independent and transparent way. Our role as auditors is to help ensure that all monitoring is carried out to the highest global standards with unannounced spot checks being part of our agreed protocols ”

OpenAccess has been set up in association with DCU’s School of Electronic Engineering, and aims to deliver accurate and independent measurements of radio emissions emanating from transmitter masts including mobile phone masts and base stations and make the results available on-line to the public. Full information about sites that OpenAccess is commissioned to monitor will be available on-line during the monitoring period. The measurement data is collected daily and automatically displayed on the web site for viewing by the general public.

Joe Moore, Director of OpenAccess said: “There has been much public concern about radio emission levels in recent years but often there has been no way for anyone, even interest groups or businesses to commission independent medium/long-term monitoring of sites and most importantly to make the results available to everyone on-line in an independent, easy to understand and transparent way. Thanks to the co-operation of DCU’s School of Electronic Engineering, the independence of OpenAccess can be underpinned by the ‘independent auditing function’ provided as a key part of the university’s support”.

OpenAccess is managed and operated by Vilicom and independently audited by the School of Electronic Engineering at Dublin City University, where its central server is also located.