... as residents raise health concerns

Residents of a quiet Sydney suburb are looking for answers from a major telco after it revealed plans to place a number of new telecommunication "small cell boxes" outside their homes without any approval.

Key points:

• Small cell boxes will become commonplace as the 5G rollout gathers pace
• The boxes do not require planning approval under Commonwealth law
• Residents in Sydney have raised health and security concerns over the technology

In a move that experts say will become more common as Australia prepares itself for the 5G rollout, TPG, in conjunction with China's Huawei, has begun placing the transmitters — roughly the size of two shoe boxes — on power poles across the suburb of Ryde, in Sydney's north-west.

The small cell boxes are used for 4G and mobile services in suburban areas, and are less powerful than the larger telecommunication towers generally used by companies such as Optus and Telstra.

However, unlike the larger towers that generally require council or planning approval, the small cell boxes can be placed on power poles without any approval process under the Commonwealth's telecommunications act.

Residents also have no say in the matter.

In Ryde, TPG has plans to place 35 of the Huawei-made small cell boxes around the suburb as the company accelerates its push to build its own mobile network.