Sitefinder was set up as a result of recommendations of the Stewart Report to the Government in 2000. It is a voluntary scheme under which mobile network operators make information available on the location and operating characteristics of individual base stations, so that people who wish to inform themselves about this can do so.

Ofcom hosts the Sitefinder tool on behalf of Government which can be searched for the location and details of mobile phone base station sites around specific locations. The data within Sitefinder is owned by the mobile network operators, who supply it on a voluntary basis. Ofcom has not, therefore, supplied the underlying dataset to any enquirers. Following a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and a decision by the Information Commissioner, subsequently upheld by the Information Tribunal and the High Court, that Ofcom must disclose the nationwide information contained within Sitefinder to parties who request it, operators ceased to supply updates of their information for the site. Most operators (excluding T-Mobile) have since agreed to resume voluntary updates which are made every 3 months or so.

Following a hearing in December 2008, the Court of Appeal upheld Ofcom’s appeal of the Information Commissioner’s decision. The Information Commissioner has since been granted leave to appeal to the House of Lords. The Sitefinder tool therefore remains available and reasonably current (excepting T-Mobile sites); meanwhile Ofcom will not release the underlying database pending the outcome of the legal process.

Ofcom cannot accept liability for any inaccuracies or omissions in the data provided within Sitefinder, or its currency.

To use the Sitefinder database for Great Britain (GB) or Northern Ireland (NI) click on that area of the map.