ATHENS - Greece's highest administrative court has ruled that some 4,000 mobile phone antennae installed since 2002 are illegal because they lack proper environmental impact studies, a judicial source said Wednesday.
The Greek Council of State acted following complaints from the eastern Athens suburb of Vyronas, where in 2002 residents sought to prevent the installation of an antenna near a local school.
The court decision affects some 4,000 units installed between 1993 and 2002, before environmental impact studies on such technology became compulsory in Greece by law.
The Council of State ruled by majority that all possible effects on public health, as well as the natural and urban environment, should be considered before such equipment is installed, the source told AFP.
Greece's transport ministry is currently working on legislation to resolve the judicial problem of how to deal with the illegal antennae, ministry sources said.
The Greek mobile telephony market is currently dominated by Britain's Vodafone, Italian-owned Tim and Cosmote, a subsidiary of Greek state telecoms operator OTE.
The companies warn that the cost of relocating the antennae could push up consumer charges.
04/27/2005 16:24 GMT