The government 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, The Economic Times reported.
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.
Why has India relaxed EMF limits?
EMF limits determine the maximum radio-frequency energy that mobile network equipment can emit.
The telecom industry has been seeking a relaxation of India's radiation norms, arguing that the earlier limits made it harder to deploy 5G networks efficiently.
India had historically maintained stricter EMF limits than those recommended by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), which provides guidelines on the health and environmental effects of EMF exposure and advises the World Health Organisation and government agencies.
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.
How will the new rules affect 5G rollout?
The higher limit could allow telecom operators to get more coverage from each tower.
This could reduce the number of sites required to expand networks and potentially lower network deployment costs. Operators could also make more efficient use of existing infrastructure.
The change is particularly relevant for Vodafone Idea, which is currently rolling out 5G services and can plan its network using the higher limits, The Economic Times reported, citing people aware of the matter.
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.
How does India's new limit compare globally?
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 report.
ICNIRP guidelines are followed by around 135 countries. India adopted the organisation's norms in 2008 but made them more stringent in 2012.
Why were the earlier limits a concern for 5G?
The earlier EMF rules were considered broadly adequate for older mobile technologies such as 2G, 3G and 4G.
Telecom companies, however, 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. The latest increase to 10 watts per square metre represents a further relaxation and brings India's limit in line with the ICNIRP level.
