In relief to telcos, 5G radiation rules eased

The government has relaxed the electromagnetic field (EMF) rules for 5G network, partly meeting a long-standing demand of the industry that will allow telecom operators to cover more areas with fewer base stations, reducing both cost and their carbon footprint. As per the revised rules, the power density requirement for a 5G base tower station (BTS) has been increased to 5 watts per square metre from 1 watt, which essentially means the signals can travel a longer distance. The revised rules are still more stringent than global guidelines, officials said.

The International Commission for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) that provides advice and guidance on the health and environmental effects of EMF recommends 10 watts per square metre. Local telcos have been seeking rules in line with the ICNIRP guidelines , citing studies that show no adverse health effect from wireless technologies. Advt "The telcos can submit self-certificates based on the new EMF norms from February onwards," an official told ET.



The new rules that will come into effect on February 1 will help telcos save on some capex costs, as under existing guidelines they have to put up an estimated 40% more sites to cover the same area, said experts. Vodafone Idea, which recently commenced its 5G network rollout, will particularly benefit as it can now plan the network coverage based on the new regulations. Under the current regulations, not only was there a need to put up more sites but there was inefficient utilisation of infrastructure, according to the experts.

This led to slower rollout of the network and increased deployment costs, which led to higher carbon footprint. The ICNIRP advises the World Health Organization and government agencies on the health and environmental effects of EMF. Both WHO and the International Telecommunication Union recommend adopting ICNIRP guidelines for EMF exposure and 137 countries have already adopted those.

Officials said that the current EMF rules in India might have worked for 2G and 3G technology but for 5G these are putting some challenges. "5G operates at higher frequency bands and due to RF attenuation, the cell site coverage reduces in 5G operating at higher frequencies," said an official. For instance, in mid-band (3300 MHz), the primary 5G band in India, and 2300 MHz band, a radius of 3-4 km can be covered by a mobile site.

But if the EMF rules are aligned with global regulations, the same site can reach up to 5-6 km. For bands like 700 MHz, a mobile site can cover around 10 km but with the change in rules, it can be extended to around 15 km. Advt "The existing EMF norms also reduce the operator's ability to fully leverage the new technology features such as beam forming and massive MIMO.

Overall, this results in non-optimal quality of service," said a second official. Industry has long been requesting the government to relax these regulations to ensure better service quality and rapid expansion. To be sure, India adopted the ICNIRP guidelines in 2008 for basic restriction and limiting reference levels of EMF radiation from mobile towers and inserted the additional clause in the license.

By Kiran Rathee , ET Bureau Published On Jan 3, 2025 at 07:42 AM IST Telegram Facebook Copy Link Be the first one to comment. Comment Now COMMENTS Comment Now Read Comment (1) All Comments By commenting, you agree to the Prohibited Content Policy Post By commenting, you agree to the Prohibited Content Policy Post Find this Comment Offensive? Choose your reason below and click on the submit button. This will alert our moderators to take actions REASONS FOR REPORTING Foul Language Defamatory Inciting hatred against a certain community Out of Context / Spam Others Report Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals Subscribe to our newsletter to get latest insights & analysis.

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