Sustainability

Cellnex Ireland promotes the Get Connected initiative as a platform to channel the demand for better connectivity by local communities where there is poor or no broadband coverage (black spots) that hinders the development of social, employment and economic activity, particularly in rural areas.

Having successfully launched in over nine counties, to date the initiative has been successfully implemented at 20 sites and  Cellnex Ireland is working with over 30 communities to assess the requirements in their area and to identify and plan the most appropriate solution.

In 2023, Cellnex Ireland commissioned a further six rural connectivity sites. Locals in these areas can now enjoy enhanced mobile coverage which offers them the connectivity they require in their day-to-day lives.

The Strategic Priority “Being a Facilitator of Social progress”, in the Cellnex ESG Master Plan, identifies an action to create materials to explain to the public that 5G networks are designed to minimise power and they use a new, advanced and highly efficient radio architecture resulting in optimised levels of exposure to electromagnetic fields. In this regard, the Cellnex UK team wanted to raise awareness of the benefits of 5G, provide opportunities for the public to self-educate on this topic through a clear Communication and Action Plan based around education, information, process, best practice, partnerships and duty of care.

This approach is largely centred around signposting communities to reliable sources of information on 5G health and safety, such as by the WHO, ICNIRP and the UK Health Security Agency. Also to ensure best practice engagement with communities as part of the delivery process and help explain the need for apparatus on the sites and benefits of mobile connectivity. The team continues to build its communication through a Community Relations Strategy based around education, information, process, best practice, partnerships and duty of care. All this community liaison work is designed to minimise risk and disruption to Cellnex UK business infrastructure, customer delivery and growth.

Cellnex UK is partnering with several charities, particularly the UK Community Foundation, that do important work to tackle digital exclusion across the UK.  Following the support of ten community groups in 2022, Cellnex UK has continued in 2023 to support several communities through the London Community Foundation to tackle digital poverty across Greater London.   Three of those communities PLIAS Resettlement, Holborn Community Association and ClearCommunityWeb were invited to join the UK team at Cellnex UK for a webinar to mark ‘Get Online Week’. The webinar showcased initiatives, supported by Cellnex UK, that promote digital inclusion across London and how the funding provided by Cellnex UK is helping to change lives.

In Greater Manchester, this year we have partnered with Forever Manchester to support the growth and development of digital inclusion projects and activities across Manchester which concentrate on the three main themes of the Greater Manchester Digital Inclusion Strategy: empowering communities and places; increasing confidence, skills and motivation; and affordability, accessibility, and connectivity.  The Cellnex Digital Inclusion Fund has provided small to medium fund awards to community groups to get a new project or activity up and running.  The Fund is now supporting twelve main community groups such as Afrocats and Community Media Crew Group tackling a range of digital affordability, access and skills issues across various socio-demographic groups.  Cellnex UK is proud to have been shortlisted for Forever Manchester Business Supporter of the Year Award in 2024.  Cellnex UK is looking to align its support with what is going on locally and it now supports the Greater Manchester Combined Authority Digital Strategy and a member of the  Greater Manchester Digital Inclusion Taskforce.

In Scotland, our partnership with the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and co-funding with Scottish Government, has allowed us to support the Digital Participation Charter Fund Round 9, which invests in community digital inclusion projects.  This follows support in 2022 which provided essential funding to several grass roots community groups right across urban and rural Scotland.  Cellnex UK has also supported SCVO’s Digital Inclusion Roadmap Launch in Edinburgh which looks to galvanise everyone in Scotland to play their part in working towards making Scotland as digitally inclusive a nation as possible. The launch included a short case study on Cellnex UK and our support in tackling digital poverty across Scotland.

In Poland, for the second time in a row, employees had the opportunity to take part in the “Rusz się z nami – razem raźniej” (“Move with us – together we are stronger”) charity competition as a part of annual Wellbeing Month. By tallying up the kilometres while walking, running and cycling, employees thereby raise funds to support the Foundation that helps young people develop in their lives. Additionally Cellnex recovered broadcasting equipment that was sent to Ukraine via partners in Poland.