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Electromagnetic Fields > ... > ... > New radio frequencies
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New radio frequencies for mobile communication: Health evaluation
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In summer 2010, the public sale of additional frequencies for
new mobile communication technologies by the Federal Network Agency was
successfully completed. By using the new frequency bands a high data rate broadband internet access is planned especially in previously undersupplied areas in Germany such as rural communities. Several frequency blocks in the spectrum around 800 Megahertz (MHz), 1.8 Gigahertz (GHz),
2 GHz, and 2.6 GHz were sold by public sale. These frequencies adjoin the
frequency bands previously used for mobile communication (900/1800 MHz for GSM
and around 2 GHz for UMTS) and researched in the German Mobile
Telecommunication Research Programme (DMF).
The frequency spectrum around 2.6 GHz is above the “ISM” band (Industrial,
Scientific and Medical Band) around 2.45 GHz which can be used in public domain
and which is, for example, used by WLAN and Bluetooth. The spectrum around 800 MHz is
referred to as „Digital Dividend“. This frequency band has previously been used
for terrestrial broadcasting of TV programmes. It could be reallocated for
other radio services after digitization of radio and television programmes
since digital broadcasting requires much less bandwidth.
Investigations into health risks
Within the scope of the German Mobile Telecommunication Research Programme (DMF) concluded in 2008 the BfS investigated into possible health risks and fundamental biological effects and mechanisms of the high-frequency electromagnetic fields used in mobile communication.
The programme covered deliberately a broad frequency range, and, in some studies, went beyond areas currently used by mobile telecommunication. It was aimed at obtain-ing findings on the basic biological effects and mechanisms which bear significance for the complete telecommunication frequency spectrum and ideally including the assess-ment of the effects brought by future technological developments.
Results of the German Mobile Telecommunication Research
Programme can be transferred to the new frequencies
Therefore, conclusions can be drawn from the results of the
DMF to the possible health risks due to the electromagnetic fields of the
frequency spectrums sold now by public sale: Since these bands are near to the
frequency spectrums currently used for mobile communication and other radio
technologies, one cannot expect that their biological-medical effects differ
fundamentally. That means that the heat effect is also crucial for the health
evaluation of these frequency spectrums. That it has previously not been possible to prove non-thermal effects as long as the limit values were kept also applies to these frequencies.
New mobile communication standard LTE
The Federal Network Agency’s terms of a licence do not specify a certain technology. To use the frequencies most efficiently and to achieve quick internet access with a data transfer rate as high as possible, also the new mobile communication standard “LTE” (abbreviation of “Long-Term Evolution”) will probably be used. In terms of the signal type it is more similar to the UMTS standard than to the pulsed GSM procedure. The modulation process used by LTE (“Orthogonal-Frequency-Division-Multiplexing”, abbr. OFDM) is also used by other wireless transfer technologies such as DVB-T and WiMAX.
Different mechanisms for the LTE transfer method are implausible
The LTE transfer method was not explicitly investigated within the scope of the
German Mobile Telecommunication Research Programme. However, scientific studies
have so far not indicated that effects of high-frequency electromagnetic fields
only occur in certain frequency spectrums or only with certain types of
modulation - so that the results gained in the DMF can be applied in this case.
From the scientific point of view different mechanisms of action can of course
never be ruled out for the frequency spectrums and modulation processes not
being investigated – in view of the numerous national and international
research results, however, their occurrence is rather improbable.
Long-term effect of mobile communication radiation is still being investigated
The DMF could not finally answer questions relating to
long-term effects and effects to particularly sensitive organisms such as possibly children. Since the wireless digital communication technologies have only been used intensively for a little bit more than ten years, it is not yet possible to make reliable statements on long-term effects.
For ethical reasons, children could not be directly examined within the scope
of the DMF with the exception of epidemiologic studies. Thus, the evaluation of
health risks for children is mainly based on calculations and application of
results from examinations of adults to children respectively from young animals
to children. These applications are afflicted with uncertainties. However, so
far there have been no profound indications that the possible health risk for
children has been underestimated previously.
Protection effect of effective limit values
Altogether, and in view of the results gained in the DMF and the current international research, there is no reason to question the protection effect of the effective limit values. The same applies to the frequency spectrums sold by public sale.
From the BfS point of view, however, precautionary care should be taken to keep
radiation exposure of users and the population as low as possible when
operating the existing and developing new wireless communication technologies.
That also applies without restrictions to those technologies successful bidders
will use in the frequency spectrums sold now.
Generally the BfS requests to announce essential parameters of new technologies in due time, so that science and radiation protection have the opportunity to examine the new technologies’ health acceptability prior to their introduction.
Further Information
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