Deployment of Radiocommunication Infrastructure technical and Administrative Standard for EMF Safety

Jerome LOUIS CEng MIET RPEM

Contents

• Public Concerns• Operators Concerns• History of Standard Development• Why a Deployment Standard?• Organisation of Standard• Overview of Provision of Standard• What changes the standard will bring?

Some History

• Three to four years ago – Main public concern was coverage and main operators concern was responding to the demand

• What has changed? Mauritius was late in becoming conscious to the potential hazard of EMF

• Exposure of the Mauritian public to media from developed countries has raised this consciousness

Public Concerns Raised about Radio Base Stations (RBS)

• Effects on Health• Effects on the Environment (Aesthetic)• Effects on TV reception • Effects on other electronic equipment

(Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC))

Operators Concerns

• Operators have increasingly to deal with objections from the neighbourhood of chosen antenna sites

• Operators face difficulties from Local Authorities which themselves receive objections from the neighbourhood of chosen sites

• Base Station deployment is delayed

Changing our Mindset• The first reaction from operators and Authorities was

to oppose the protests• We thought that we knew better than the general

public• In tackling the EMF safety issues, it is imperative that

we fundamentally change our mindset• This change has to start firstly by applying

precautionary principles within our own companies and organisations

• A Change in mindset calls for reviewing the way radio infrastructures are deployed

The Deployment Standard – History of Development

• In September 2009, the ICTA launched a consultation and issued a call for submission with respect to RF Safety

• The objectives of the consultation were to – take stock of the difficulties, concerns and views of all relevant

stakeholders– Actions stakeholders are already undertaking– Reflect on measures which may be taken collectively

• The expected outcome of the consultation was to make recommendations on the following:-– How to communicate with the public on RF safety issues in a transparent

and coherent manner– How to deal with complaints from the Authorities and Operators view

point– Precautionary policies to be adopted– Guidelines for RBS siting– Methods for planning and monitoring RF radiation through calculations,

simulations and measurements

The Deployment Standard – History of Development

• The Authority had created a forum so as to encourage debate. Unfortunately, the response has been insignificant. This could have been due to insufficient communication but also to the fact that this mode of collecting views was new to the stakeholders and the public at large.

• On 1 September 2010 the Authority released a consultation document and proposed a draft deployment of radiocommunication infrastructure technical and administrative standard in line with the objectives set in September 2009

Result of Consultation

• The result of the consultation has shown that operators are in general reticent to the introduction of the deployment standard

• Local Authorities on the other hand have in general welcomed the introduction of the standard

Reasons for Adopting the Deployment Standard

• Part of the mindset change• There is general agreement that deployment standards based

on the precautionary principle caters for public concerns with respect to EMF whilst allowing operators to deploy their networks.

• There is a general initiative worldwide for the adoption of precautionary approach to the siting and operation of base stations

• Resolution 1815 (2011) of the European Parliamentary Assembly for example recently recommended that member states of the Council of Europe concerning the planning of base stations to determine the sites of any new GSM, UMTS, WiFi and WiMax antennas not solely according to the operators’ interest but in consultation with local and regional government officials, local residents and associations of concerned citizens

The Precautionary Principle• The precautionary principle is a fundamental concept that

stems from the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro.

• The application of the Precautionary Principle requires commitment to the idea that scientific proof of a causal link between human activities and its effect is not required.

• The application of the Precautionary Principle to the siting of radiocommunications infrastructure should include a consideration of the uncertainty of the science on a-thermal effects.

• There is a need to balance the requirement for the telecommunications industry to provide adequate service with the need of the community to be ensured of living in an environment that will not be a potential threat to health.

Organisation of Standard

Commencement and Application of Standard

• The Deployment standard has been published on 23 March 2011 and will become effective on 23 September 2011

• The standard applies to new radiocommunication infrastructures only.

• This is in line with precautionary approach policies adopted in other countries

• The Reason for choosing to apply the standard to new infrastructures only is that costs are generally higher for retrofitting existing facilities than for modifying the design of new ones.

• Operators have been given six months to get prepared

Telecommunication Network Planning

• In this section Licensees are required to provide assistance in a reasonable manner to Local Authorities in forward planning for the deployment of radio infrastructures when requested to do so.

Application of the Precautionary Approach to Site Selection

• Licensees shall have written procedures for site selection• The procedures shall require that the licensee has regard to:-

– QoS objectives– Minimization of EMF exposure to the public– The possibility of co-location– Community sensitive location– Local government planning policies– Outcomes of consultation with the public– Heritage significance– Physical characteristics of locality (elevation and terrain)– Availability of land and public utilities– Feasibility of line of sight for microwave– Radiofrequency interference– Cost factors

Application of Precautionary Approach to Infrastructure Design

• The Licensee shall have written procedures for designing radio infrastructure.

• The objective is for minimizing unnecessary or incidental RF emissions and exposure

• The Licensees shall therefore have regard to:-– The reason for the installation of the installation considering coverage,

capacity and quality– Antenna positioning– Restricting access to exceedance zones– The need for macro, micro or pico cells and the need for directional or

non-directional antennas– The objective of minimising power whilst meeting service objectives– Reasonability of achieving the above objective

Application of Precautionary Approach to Infrastructure Design (Cont’d)

• Site EMF assessment shall be made in accordance with the ITU-T Recommendation K.52 prediction methodology.

Application to ICTA for Authorisation

Radio Base Station (RBS) Site Authorisations – Roof-Top

The installation and operation of RF radiating equipment approved by ICTA

The Building of the structure and shelter approved by local Authorities which issue a building and land use permit

Site is set-up with consent of owner of building

Installation of back- up engine approved by local Authorities.NB. Storage of Diesel does not require a Fire Certificate but may require approval of Ministry of Environment

Typical Base Station installed on a Roof top

DCA regarding the height of structure

Application of Precautionary Approach to Site Operation

• Licensees shall be able to demonstrate compliance with ICTA regulations regarding maximum exposure limits for radiofrequency fields

• This may be undertaken through base station self-certification measurement effected in accordance with in-situ measurement protocol

Application of Precautionary Approach to Site Operation (Cont’d)

• Licensees shall take appropriate measures to restrict general public access to RF hazard areas

Application of Precautionary Approach to Site Operation (Cont’d)

• Licensees shall have regard to:-– the category of persons who shall have access to the area;– the need for physical barriers;– relevant occupational health and safety requirements (e.g.

Operators may consider providing their personnel with personal RF Field monitors);

– the views of the property owner;– any site changes that have been made; and– any other matter which should be relevant to ensure site

safety with regards to EMF.• Licensees shall also ensure that their technical staff are

adequately trained• Licensees shall ensure that transmission equipment no

longer in service does not transmit

Requirements to keep documentary evidence of Compliance with Standard• Licensees will have to prepare compliance

reports for each site and keep same for a period of three years

• This report may be requested by the Authority when processing complaints

• This report is the instrument that attests that the Licensee has chosen its site and designed its network in compliance with the standard and has therefore taken into account the precautionary principle

Radio Emissions and Health and Safety Information

• Licensees should keep themselves updated of the significance of the results of scientific studies on EMF safety

• Licensees shall make available to the public on demand and free of charge:-– information regarding how they address RF health

and safety issues in relation to their network– Information about where research reports on health

and safety impacts of RF infrastructure may be obtained

Radio Emissions and Health and Safety Information (cont’d)

• For a specific site, a Licensee shall provide free, as soon as practicable the following information to members of the public on request:-

– a description of their radiofrequency infrastructure on the site;– the operating frequency of the radiofrequency transmitter;– a declaration that their infrastructure is in compliance with the ICTA adopted

limits for general public exposure to RF EMF;– details of any RF hazard areas associated with their infrastructure and

management practices to restrict access to RF hazard areas;– coverage information of the area.

• The Licensee shall not assert anything to the effect that the absence of scientific proof means that there is no possibility of risk arising from the operation of radiocommunications infrastructure.

Complaint Handling

What Changes the Deployment Standard Will Bring?

• Structured manner of deploying radio infrastructure that take into consideration both the requirement for QoS and the safety of our fellow citizens especially our children through the application of the precautionary approach

• Structured approach to deal with complaints• Operators will prepare a compliance report that

is evidence of compliance with the standard

What other changes should be brought

• It is believed that operators should apart from complying with standards set by the Authorities, take initiatives of their own so that they are seen to be taking EMF Safety issues seriously

• It is also believed that it is important that operators unite their efforts in view of achieving common goals

THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION

QUESTION TIME