Rediff Business / Opinion July 11th 2012
(G Krishna Kumar,
Vice President, Symphony Teleca. Views are personal)
While we laud the dramatic rise in India’s Tele-density
thanks to the mobile phone penetration, it is concerning to see most
subscribers, including the educated class, unaware of the possible health
hazards due to radiation from mobile phones and mobile towers.
WHO states that mobile phone radiation can possibly cause
cancer. Studies are ongoing to fully assess potential long-term effects of
mobile phone use and WHO will conduct a formal risk assessment of all studied
health outcomes from radio frequency field exposure by 2012.
A recent news report suggests that FCC, the US regulator
plans to revise the radiation levels as they were set in 1990s when the mobile
usage was very different. In fact, India’s National Telecom Policy (NTP- 2012)
too recognizes the need for periodic review radiation standards.
An inter-ministerial committee recommendation approved
late last year talks about some stringent measures to curb radiation. But
the big question is about effective execution. The recommendations include
educating the phone users on reducing the radiation effect, reduction in
acceptable radiation levels, more commonly known as SAR – Specific Absorption
rate, SAR level to be displayed on Mobile phones. SAR indicates the rate at
which human body absorbs electromagnetic power radiated from mobile phones.
While it is expected that the Mobile phones sold in India
will start carrying SAR details by September 2012, what would happen to the
existing phones being used? For the high end mobile users, there is some hope.
There are downloadable applications that warn users when the radiation level
increases. Also, for most of the branded mobile phones, SAR info is
available on the internet. What happens to the unbranded low cost phones?
Government should mandate all the mobile phone makers
(Over 100 of them) to provide the radiation details for all phone models online
and to be available all the retail outlets. As of now there are no
Government approved facilities in India for checking SAR value of a mobile
phone. This is because the SAR testing equipment is expensive. Obviously, that
cannot be a reason considering that we are dealing with public health and more
over, India is the 2nd largest mobile market in the world. DOT should support
in establishing test labs in India, maybe through a PPP model at least in all
the major cities.
It is important to note that the SAR value by itself does
not guarantee that the phone is safe to be used continuously for hours like
most people do. In a research report on Mobile phone radiation, Prof
Girish Kumar of IIT Mumbai clarifies that a SAR value of 1.6 W/kg means that
the phone can safely be used for about 18 minutes of continuous talking ( with
phone held against the ear) in a day. It is imperative that the
Government and the regulator educate the subscribers on this specific aspect.
Now let us turn our attention towards the impact of
radiation from the mobile towers. The data is even more shocking and research
reports indicate that the effect of radiation due to Mobile towers is far
higher as it is a 24x7 phenomenon and affects everyone residing near the tower
and not limited to mobile subscribers.
As per government directive based on the
Inter-ministerial report , Radiation level from Mobile towers should be brought
to 10% of the existing limits by September 2012. Reports suggest, even
this reduced limit is way above international norms. Sample this - India
currently allows 9.2W/m2 ( watt per square meter), come Sep 2012, the number
would be 0.92W/m2, while many countries follow anywhere between 0.025 to
0.1W/m2. Higher the power emitted by the towers, better would be coverage to
the subscribers and this would cost lesser for the Telcos.
What is the solution? Should the towers be removed? No.
Power level from the towers should be reduced and this means more towers and
additional expenditure. However, the cost can be reduced through infrastructure
sharing among telcos, some Government subsidy and marginal increase in tariff.
The Telcos have been mandated to provide
self-certification of radiation levels from mobile towers. DOT’s TERM
department is expected to conduct random test covering 10% of the towers. This
may be grossly insufficient considering that there are lakhs of towers
installed across the country. There is a need for a framework that would
allow periodic collection of data through designated third parties. Should the
Pollution control boards in the states become a key stakeholder in monitoring
radiation?
In most of the developed countries, Telcos have started deploying
Distributed Antennae System (DAS) to overcome the coverage problems. This
reduces the number of towers needed and more importantly helps in reducing
radiation. Globally, examples abound on DAS implementation in Airports, Malls,
Hospitals, educational institutions and resorts.
In fact an Instat research report predicts significant
growth in DAS implementation in the APAC region by 2015. In Building Solution
(IBS) and DAS have been identified as key drivers in a TRAI report and also in
the NTP 2012. However, question remains if and when will it be implemented?
There is an urgent need for simple hand-held devices for
measuring radiation and available at affordable prices. In fact, such devices
must be mandated in educational institutes, Hospitals, Malls, public places and
even residential areas.
Although mobile has become an integral part of our lives,
there are increasing evidences indicating health hazards due to Mobile
radiation from Mobile phones and towers. It is imperative that the Government persuades
all the stake holders to impart awareness among the Indian subscribers.
Considering that public health is most important, Government’s resolve to
address the issue through stringent measures, along with a clear implementation
plan holds the key! Let’s hope to see some real action from this September.
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