India is set to relax electromagnetic field (EMF) limits for mobile networks, bringing India's norms in line with international standards and potentially allowing telecom operators to expand coverage with fewer tower sites. According to The Economic Times, the revised rules will take effect next month and raise the permitted power density for a 5G base transceiver station (BTS) to 10 watts per square metre, from the existing 5 watts per square metre. Higher permitted power density is expected to allow signals to travel farther from individual sites, enabling operators to cover larger areas and potentially reduce the number of towers needed for network expansion.
The higher limit could allow telecom operators to get more coverage from each tower, potentially reducing the number of sites required to expand networks and lowering network deployment costs. As reported by The Economic Times, the change is particularly relevant for Vodafone Idea, which is currently rolling out 5G services and can plan its network using the higher limits. Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio, which have already deployed a large part of their 5G networks, could also benefit through lower incremental capital expenditure and more efficient use of existing sites.
The new 10 watts per square metre limit is in line with norms followed in around 137 countries, including countries in the European Union, the UK, Australia, Japan, South Korea and Singapore, according to The Economic Times. ICNIRP guidelines are followed by around 135 countries. India initially followed a power-density limit of 1 watt per square metre, before raising it to 5 watts per square metre last year. The latest change will take the limit to 10 watts per square metre, in line with the ICNIRP-recommended level.
The earlier EMF rules were considered broadly adequate for older mobile technologies such as 2G, 3G and 4G. According to The Economic Times, telecom companies argued that applying the same limits to 5G was less suitable because of differences in the technology and network standards. The government partially relaxed the norms last year, and the latest increase to 10 watts per square metre represents a further relaxation and brings India's limit in line with the ICNIRP level.
While India relaxes 5G radiation limits, recent scientific research raises concerns about wireless radiation exposure. A study published in Neurotoxicology found that exposure to cell phone radiation at levels considered safe by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) impacted brain development in rodents. The study showed that rodents exposed to cell phone radiation at 900MHz frequency during pregnancy and after birth developed fewer synapses in the hippocampus, a brain region critical for memory. Exposed rodents also displayed dysregulation of proteins essential to signal transmission between neurons, and neural stem cells had increased double-strand DNA breaks. The research adds to growing evidence linking wireless radiation exposure to neurodevelopmental delays, particularly highlighting pregnancy as a vulnerable period for exposure.
