SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF TELECOMMUNICATION MASTS AND THEIR EFFECTS IN KANO METROPOLIS, NIGERIA
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
The need for functional telecommunication services through the use of mobile phones has increased significantly in recent years. The optimal socioeconomic functioning of any nation is greatly dependent on communication that corresponds to its scale of development. Thus, the world is rapidly moving towards an economic system that heavily depends on continuous and widespread availability and dissemination of information, as such, Nigeria as a nation is not left out (Akwule, 2009). The growing population in urban areas and serious transportation problems justify the necessity for effective communication system like the Global System for mobile (GSM) Telecommunication; the use of which started around 2001 in Nigeria. The service providers will maximize their profit and productivity when a large population within a relatively small space can pay for their services. Today services like mobile television, electronic payment, mobile tracking services, cheaper international calls, internet banking and mobile banking among others occasioned by mobile telecommunication are common place in the country. GSM has become a vital and indispensable tool for transmitting and exchanging information for a modern man (Ajala, 2005).
Telecommunication has been defined as a technology concerned with communicating from a distance. Telecommunication masts tower consist of a body structure of steel beams and materials with a concrete base of an approximate height of between 25 to 55meters. Antennae, transmitter and receivers are mounted on the body of the structure. These antennae receive high frequency radio waves from cell phones. The range of these antennas varies from distances as short as 1.5 to 2.4km to distances as long as 48 to 56km. A power source is provided with other accessories, all fenced either by block wall or steel poles and wire depending on the service providers. The area covered by each mast location is approximately 144m2 (Hart, Jackson, Akpe and Moka, 2012).
Wireless digital telecommunications such as the internet and information communication technology has revolutionized the world and the impact of information technology (IT) has been felt in all economic and social activities in every conceivable manner. The convergence of all forms of communication on the digital playfield is opening up immense new possibilities for achieving speed, versatility and space-time independence. The use and deployment of cellular phones and other wireless communication facilities around the world is phenomenal as it has not only reduced the world into a global village but more importantly into a global household. What was once solely a business tool; wireless phones are now a mass market consumer device contributing positively to the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) of various countries and providing job opportunities to millions of youths, professionals and even petty traders (Otubu, 2012).
DOWNLOAD COMPLETE PROJECT MATERIALS
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF TELECOMMUNICATION MASTS AND THEIR EFFECTS IN KANO METROPOLIS, NIGERIA
