The Australian mobile telecommunications industry is committed to bringing new and faster services to the Australian community and is delivering on that commitment while playing a leading role in the development of new international mobile safety standards.
The latest 5G EME testing standards for base stations was recently agreed at the IEC meeting in Naples University, Italy along with a significant new five-year strategic plan to deliver advanced 5G electromagnetic field assessment standards and technical reports for base stations and devices, and new standards for the safety assessment of electric vehicles.
The Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA), the peak national body representing Australia’s mobile telecommunications industry, endorses the development of the new international IEC mobile safety standards, which has been led by two of the industry’s own members, Mike Wood and Des Ward.
Louise Hyland, AMTA CEO, said the latest 5G EME testing standard for base stations is another significant milestone for 5G in Australia as the mobile telecommunications industry continues to aim to provide confidence to the public in relation to the safety of the technology.
“With the global acceleration of smart sustainable cities and rapid deployment of 5G networks, the new international mobile safety standards reflect the latest scientific and technology updates, and international best practice, ensuring members of the Australian public can remain confident in the safety of the mobile technologies deployed as they adopt them in their everyday lives.” said Hyland
The approval of the latest EMF assessment standards for 5G base stations means communities will enjoy more specifically detailed EME reports for the areas where they live.
The current assessment methodologies are conservative as was seen in the recent ACMA 5G base station audits where the calculated EME levels were typically over 10 times higher than measured levels.
The new standard specifically focuses on test methods to achieve the most accurate assessment of 5G base stations and includes EME case studies from Australian 5G networks. It recommends using the ‘actual maximum’ transmission levels from real site operation rather than the ‘rated maximum’ that is generally not reached during operation.
Mike Wood, Chairman TC106, International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) said, “Harnessing the collaborative power of academia, industry, governments, and testing laboratories all working together, is what delivers world’s best practice.”
“It is a great honour to lead this team of international experts contributing to the ongoing safety of all communities.” says Wood
Des Ward, IEC Co-Convener, said, “This new edition is the outcome of joint effort and contribution from a range of experts, including academia, industry, governments and testing laboratories, from more than 15 nationalities on all continents.”
The 2022 edition of the IEC 62232 standard has been adopted with the highest score of 100% positive votes with the main updates including:
• Increased frequency range from 100MHz to 300GHz to support millimetre wave
• Assessment of antennas using beamforming
• Assessment methods using actual transmission levels of base stations during operation
• Case studies from live 5G networks illustrating transmission levels monitoring and control
The AMTA support for these standards comes after IDC recently found that spending on telecommunications and pay-TV services jumped from $494 billion in 2020 to $505 billion in the APAC region in 2021.
