Time Averaged Transmitter Power and Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields from Mobile Phone Base Stations.
Bürgi A , Scanferla D, Lehmann H. · 2014
View Original AbstractCell towers operate at only one-third maximum power, meaning EMF exposure could triple as networks expand without regulatory oversight.
Plain English Summary
Researchers analyzed 37 mobile phone base stations across Switzerland to determine how much power they actually transmit compared to their maximum capacity. They found that base stations operate at only about one-third of their maximum power on average. This finding is significant because it helps establish more accurate estimates of actual EMF exposure from cell towers in real-world conditions.
Why This Matters
This research fills a critical gap in our understanding of actual EMF exposure from cell towers. Most studies and regulatory assessments assume base stations operate at maximum power, but this Swiss analysis reveals they typically run at just 33% capacity. What this means for you is that previous exposure estimates may have been inflated, but it also demonstrates the industry's capacity to significantly increase transmission power as network demands grow. The reality is that as we move toward 5G and increased data usage, these duty factors could rise substantially, potentially tripling current exposure levels without any regulatory changes.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
We determine duty factors for UMTS from the data of 37 base stations in the Swisscom network
The UMTS base stations sample contains sites from different regions of Switzerland and also differen...
The average output power corresponds to about a third of the maximum power. We also give duty factor...
Show BibTeX
@article{a_2014_time_averaged_transmitter_power_1936,
author = {Bürgi A and Scanferla D and Lehmann H.},
title = {Time Averaged Transmitter Power and Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields from Mobile Phone Base Stations.},
year = {2014},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/11/8/8025},
}