Assessment of the exposureof the general public to 5G
electromagnetic waves
Part 2: first measurement results on
5G pilots in the 3,400-3,800 MHz
band
April 2020

First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots

Executive summary
This report is part of a general study on the assessment of exposure of the general public toelectromagnetic waves from 5G networks. The first part was a general presentation of 5G from an
exposure point of view. This second part covers several representative pilot deployments carried out
in France to test the deployment of 5G steered beam antennas in the 3400-3800 MHz band.
Exposure measurements using the applicable ANFR measurement protocol are taken before andafter powering up the sites representing various operator, manufacturer and antenna typeconfigurations. The post-initialisation measurements were taken without traffic as these sites were
not open to subscribers at the time. In the absence of traffic, the signalling signals are observed
which makes it possible for the base station to scan the coverage area for possible users. Forty-threesites were measured, which showed that before the 5G sites were powered up there was noemission in this frequency band, and that after they were powered up, in the absence of traffic, theaverage exposure level in the 5G band was 0.06 V/m, with a maximum level of 0.36 V/m. These levels
are well below the regulatory limit value of 61 V/m in this frequency band.
Additional measurements were also taken at a limited number of sites in specific test configurations,in particular with continuous data traffic in a beam locked in a given direction and when downloadinga 1 GB file. The following table summarises the main electric field strengths measured:

Town/City Manufacturer Operator

Electric
field
strength
without
traffic

Maximum electricfield strength
when the antenna
is transmitting
continuously at fullload in a given
direction

Electric field strength
received whensending a 1 GB file ina given direction

Mérignac Huawei

Bouygues
Telecom

0.1-0.2 V/m

9 V/m

1.1 V/mChâtillon

Orange0.01-0.2 V/m

0.65 V/m--Toulouse Huawei

SFR

0.1-0.2 V/m

8.3 V/m

0.8 V/mDouaiEricssonOrange0.1 V/m

1.4 V/m

--

Nozay

Nokia

Nokia

0.05-0.6 V/m

6 V/m

1.6 V/mPau

HuaweiOrange0.01-0.1 V/m

1.8 V/m--Huawei

These measurements were used to observe the frequency spectrum and temporal occupancy of the
5G signals. They also highlighted the variation in the level of exposure depending on use and led tothe proposal of a new indicator to better reflect the actual exposure created by 5G networks withsteerable beams. This indicator is based on a predictable 5G usage pattern, which translates into one
gigabyte of data being sent in a given direction every 6 minutes. Assuming an average speed of 500
Mbps, the antenna then transmits in the given direction about 15 seconds every 6 minutes (i.e. about
4% of the time). The assumptions to define this indicator will be compared with the exposure
measurements from the field for 5G commercial networks. They will be revised if necessary.

2First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots
This indicator results in a reduction factor that is used to assess the exposure in live conditions basedon the theoretical maximum antenna power. The field strengths at 100 metres from a 5G antenna
resulting from the application of the indicator appear to be comparable to those found at the same
distance from a 4G antenna. However, for 4G, the reduction factor applies to the maximum antenna
gain value. As this is only found in the main antenna direction, outside this main direction the fieldstrength will be lower. On the other hand, with the 5G steered beam antennas, the exposure
calculated using the indicator will be valid in a higher number of directions.
These initial measurements made it possible to cover several antenna configurations and different
5G implementations in well-controlled conditions linked to the pilot deployments. After the networks
open to the public, new measurements will make it possible to test more realistic configurations interms of traffic.

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First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots

Table of Contents
1.

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 5

2.

Pilot areas in France ........................................................................................................................ 6

3.

COFRAC measurements taken on the pilots ................................................................................... 8

4.

5.

6.

3.1.

Presentation ............................................................................................................................ 8

3.2.

Results ..................................................................................................................................... 8

Supplementary measurements ....................................................................................................... 9
4.1.

Presentation ............................................................................................................................ 9

4.2.

Site characteristics................................................................................................................... 9

4.3.

Measurement configuration ................................................................................................. 10

4.4.

Characteristics of the tested 5G signals ................................................................................ 11

4.5.

Results ................................................................................................................................... 12

4.5.1.

Without traffic ............................................................................................................... 12

4.5.2.

With continuous traffic in a beam ................................................................................. 16

4.5.3.

With file transfer ........................................................................................................... 29

Outlook .......................................................................................................................................... 31
5.1.

Exposure indicator ................................................................................................................. 31

5.2.

Safety perimeters .................................................................................................................. 33

Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 34

4

First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots

1. Introduction
This report is part of a general study on the assessment of exposure of the general public toelectromagnetic waves from 5G networks. The first part was a general presentation of 5G from an
exposure point of view. This second part covers several representative pilot deployments carried out
in France to test the deployment of 5G antennas in the 3,400 - 3,800 MHz band in live conditions.
The first 3,400 - 3,800 MHz band considered for 5G deployment is a good compromise between
coverage and capacity. Long-range "macro" type cells will be able to be implemented in thisfrequency band to guarantee good coverage, while having the extended bandwidths required forvery high speed mobile. In order to achieve the objectives of 5G, higher instant transmitted powers
are required and 5G will rely on massive MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) technology whichallows the formation of steered and thinner beams directed towards users (beamforming). As aresult, and contrary to previous technologies, the exposure to the waves created by mobile phone
relay stations is likely to vary depending on the location of the users who are communicating and on
their uses. 5G therefore requires to adjust the exposure assessment procedures.
The objective of the experimental approach is therefore to characterise the exposure created by 5G
antenna array access points.

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First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots

2. Pilot areas in France
At the beginning of 2018, the Arcep opened a "5G pilots" service to issue authorisations to use
frequencies in the frequency bands being considered for 5G, on a transitional basis and within thelimits of their availability.
The Arcep maintains a dashboard of these pilot areas:
https://www.arcep.fr/cartes-et-donnees/nos-publications-chiffrees/experimentations-5g-enfrance/tableau-deploiements-5g.html
Once the authorisation to use the frequencies is obtained from the Arcep, operators must apply to
the ANFR for an authorisation to transmit. The ANFR publishes a monthly observatory of mobile
network deployments and keeps a record of the 5G supports1 authorised for these pilots (see Figure1). However, the permission to transmit issued by the ANFR for an experimental 5G station does notprejudge the actual operational status2 of that station.

01 Dec. 19

01 Nov. 19

01 Oct. 19

01 Aug. 19

01 Sept. 19

01 Jul. 19

01 June. 19

01 May. 19

01 Apr. 19

01 March. 19

01 Feb. 19

01 Jan. 19

01 Dec. 18

01 Nov. 18

01 Oct. 18

01 August 18

01 Sept. 18

Experimental 5G supports authorised in continental France

Figure 1: excerpt from the ANFR observatory of mobile network deployments of December 2019.

Table 1 and Figure 2 summarise the main pilots studied in this analysis. This table is not intended tobe complete, but presents the first large-scale pilots initially planned by three of the four Frenchmobile operators. Since then, the operators have launched other experimental deployments of 5G
antennas in other towns/cities.
Town/City
Lille
Douai
Châtillon
NantesBordeauxPau
Toulouse
Marseilles
Lyon
Saint-Ouen

Operator
OrangeOrangeOrangeSFR
Bouygues Telecom
OrangeSFR
OrangeBouygues Telecom
OrangeManufacturer
Ericsson
Ericsson
Huawei
Huawei
Huawei
Huawei
Huawei
Nokia
EricssonSamsung

Table 1: List of towns/cities, operators and manufacturers concerned by the first pilot 5G deployments in the3400 MHz - 3800 MHz band.
1

A support is an infrastructure supporting one or more antennas.
Because of the experimental status of these deployments, the operation of these stations is often
interrupted as they are not subject to continuity of service requirements.
2

6

First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots

Figure 2: Cities hosting 5G pilot deployments in the 3,400 MHz - 3,800 MHz band that were monitored by the
ANFR.

7

First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots

3. COFRAC measurements on pilots
3.1.

Presentation

Exposure measurements using the applicable ANFR measurement protocol were taken before andafter the powering up of a number of radio sites representing various operator, manufacturer andantenna type configurations.
The cities concerned were Pau, Marseilles, Lille, Douai, Bordeaux, Lyon, Nantes, Rouen, Saint-Ouen
and Toulouse, where the Orange, Bouygues Telecom and SFR operators are carrying out the first pilot
deployments in the 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz band.
The post power-up measurements were taken without traffic as these sites were not open to
subscribers at the time. In the absence of traffic, the radio base station emits a signal which makes it
possible to set up (or maintain, for a cell change) the connections of users present in its coveragearea to the network.
A detailed "case B" measurement of the ANFR measurement protocol was initially taken site by site
prior to the powering-up of 5G, in direct view between 100 and 200 m and in the median azimuth
sector for each installation. These measurements provided benchmarks.
Subsequent measurements will be taken in the presence of established traffic to study the effect of
5G on overall exposure.

3.2.

Results

Forty-three sites were measured.
Before the 5G antennas were powered on, no emissions in this band were detected: levels were
measured at less than 0.01 V/m (see Table 2), a value well below 0.05 V/m, the level used in the
ANFR protocol to define a significant emission.
After powering on the 5G antennas but in the absence of traffic, the average exposure level createdby 5G in the 3.4 - 3.8 GHz band appeared to be very low: it was measured on average at 0.06 V/m,and at the most at 0.36 V/m (see Table 2).
These levels are well below the regulatory limit value of 61 V/m in this frequency band.
Without 5G

With 5G signalling

Average< 0.01 V/m

0.06 V/m

Maximum< 0.01 V/m

0.36 V/m

Table 2: Summary of measured electric field strengths in the 3.4 - 3.8 GHz band at 43 sites before and after
5G power up.

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First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots

4. Supplementary measurements
4.1.

Presentation

Supplementary exploratory measurements were organised in a concerted manner between the
ANFR, the operators and the manufacturers to test different 5G deployment configurations.
These exploratory tests made it possible to:-better understand the 5G signals;
adjust the ANFR measurement protocol to better take into account 5G;
define an exposure indicator.

At the time of the tests, the 5G pilots were not open to operator subscribers. There were no (or veryfew) 5G-compatible terminals on the French market. Even so, the assessment of exposure in different
configurations required the creation of traffic. Traffic was generated by the following means (seeFigure 3):-

the use of a base station test mode, which made it possible to test different network loadconfigurations and numbers of beams;
mobile receiver test equipment (CPE for Customer Premises Equipment);a 5G modem receiver controlled by a computer;a 5G mobile in receiver mode.

Figure 3: Different equipment used as receivers on 5G pilots. From left to right, a CPE"customer premises equipment”, a 5G modem and two 5G mobiles.

During these pilot phases, most of the sites were installed and powered on, but without all possible
5G features having been implemented on them.

4.2.

Site characteristics

The sites selected for these supplementary measurements were chosen in order to cover all
manufacturers of antennas of which the use is being considered in France, and all the operators
carrying out 5G pilots during the period in question. These sites were also selected on the basis of thedirect and unobstructed visibility of the sites and a certain number of logistical constraints (access fortechnical vehicles, presence of a power supply, etc.).

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First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots
The sites that were the subject of this supplementary analysis are listed in Table 3:
Town/City
MérignacChâtillon
Toulouse
Douai
Nozay
Pau
Saint-Ouen

Manufacturer
Huawei
Huawei
HuaweiEricsson
Nokia
HuaweiSamsung

Operator
Bouygues Telecom
OrangeSFR
OrangeNokia
OrangeOrangeAntenna type3
64T64R
64T64R
64T64R
64T64R
64T64R
32T32R and 8T8R
32T32R

Table 3: List of 5G sites that were the subject of supplementary analysis

4.3.

Measurement configuration

Three types of measurement configuration were tested:Configuration without traffic
The base station only sent signalling, no users were connected to the network via theantenna.



Test configuration with continuous traffic in a blocked beam
In this configuration, the base station sent a constant and continuous stream of data in agiven direction. This was achieved either by UDP (User Datagram Protocol) transfer or by
an FTP transfer. UDP transfers have the advantage of minimising uplinks and maximising
downlinks. FTP transfers have the advantage of being more realistic. In this configuration,
the beam was therefore locked in a given direction.

File transfer configuration in a given direction
In this configuration, traffic was generated by on-demand downloads using different size
files (150 MB, 500 MB, 1 GB, 10 GB, 100 GB).

The measurements were taken at different points: in direct view of the antenna, within an antenna
beam and outside the beams. The measurements were taken 1.5 m above the ground, outdoors.
The field strengths were assessed as average values for a 6 minute period, in compliance withregulations. For the record, 5G uses OFDMA modulation which is characterised by a high PAPR (peakto average power ratio) level which measures the instant maximum amplitude of the signal
compared to its average level.

3

The antenna type is indicated by a code that specifies the number of transmitters (T) and receivers (R)installed in each antenna. The higher these values, the more the antenna is directional and the thinner thecreated beams are. These characteristics are detailed in Part 1: General presentation of 5G (pages 12 andfollowing) https://www.anfr.fr/fileadmin/mediatheque/documents/expace/CND/Rapport-ANFR-presentationgenerale- 5G.pdf

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First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots

4.4.

Characteristics of the tested 5G signals

The 5G NR standard defined by 3GPP is very open and provides great flexibility in the choice of themany parameters that characterise the signal.
Similarly to 4G, 5G NR uses OFDMA (orthogonal frequency division multiple access) modulation,
which is based on a division of the time/frequency matrix into elementary resources. In frequencies,
the unit is the size of a sub-carrier in kHz; in time, it is the duration of an OFDM symbol in
milliseconds. The OFDM symbols are grouped by 14 to form slots.
These elementary resources are then grouped together to form frequency blocks (RB for resource
block) containing a number of sub-carriers, one-millisecond sub-frames and ten-millisecond frames.
In the tested 3,400 - 3,800 MHz band, a TDD4 (Time Division Duplexing) mode is used. The split
between uplink and downlink transmissions over time uses predefined frame formats.
TDD mode may cause interference between base stations or between users. One way to avoid suchinterference is to make sure that items of equipment that may interfere with each other transmit andreceive at the same time: this is called synchronisation. In particular this involves the use of acommon frame.
In the first cases observed in the field, this split was achieved by slot with a "DDDSU" format i.e. 3
successive D slots (reserved for downlink traffic), one S slot (for a switch shared between downlink
traffic, a buffer zone without transmission and uplink traffic) and one U slot (reserved for uplinktraffic). Using this configuration, the TDD ratio is about 75% in favour of the downlink. However, thisfirst format tested in the field was not the one adopted by Arcep in its decision No. 2019-0862 on thesynchronisation of terrestrial networks in the 3.4 - 3.8 GHz band in continental France. Anotherformat compatible with this Arcep decision was therefore also tested on certain pilots: the"DDDDDDDSUU" format which also leads to a TDD ratio of around 75% in favour of downlink.
The 5G NR antenna scans its environment to identify the users to be served using SSBs
(synchronisation signal blocks) that occupy a bandwidth of 20 RB, i.e. 7.2 MHz in the case of thetested pilots.

Table 4 summarises the main characteristics of the 5G signals tested on the pilots which were thesubject of supplementary measurements by the ANFR.

4

The duplexing modes are defined in Part 1: general presentation of 5G (page 10)https://www.anfr.fr/fileadmin/mediatheque/documents/expace/CND/Rapport-ANFR-presentation-generale5G.pdf

11

First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots
Parameters
Bandwidth
Spacing between sub-carriersSize of an RB resource block
Number of available resource blocks
Frame duration
Slot duration
Number of symbols per slot
Frame format
TDD Ratio
Signalling signal position (SSB)
SSB frequency
Number of SSBs

Tested 5G pilots
100 MHz30 kHz
12 sub-carriers
273
10 ms
0.5 ms
14 symbols
DDDSU or DDDDDDDSUU
75% downlink
central or lower band frequency
20 ms
1, 6, 7 or 8

Table 4: General characteristics of the 5G signals tested on the pilots which were the subject of supplementarymeasurements by the ANFR.

4.5.

Results

4.5.1.

Without traffic

4.5.1.1. Spectral vision
In the absence of traffic, only signalling is transmitted. Figure 4 shows the spectra observed in theabsence of traffic for the different manufacturers. The colours indicate the occurrence of power
levels, indicated in logarithmic scale on the ordinate, depending on the frequency on the abscissa(100 or 120 MHz around the central frequency of the antenna's transmitting band). The mostfrequently measured level is shown in yellow and corresponds to the noise level in the band: indeed,in the absence of traffic, most of the time there are no transmissions. More rarely, signalling signals
are transmitted (in blue in the figure). These signalling signals are composed of SSBs which occupy abandwidth of 20 RB i.e. 7.2 MHz, and are located in the centre of the band, except in the case of
Samsung where the SSBs are located at the beginning of the band. The other signals, which are
spread over the whole spectrum for Huawei or Ericsson or over part of it for Nokia, are other RS(reference signal) signals.

(a) Huawei - Bouygues Telecom - Mérignac12

First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots(b) Ericsson - Orange - Douai(c) Nokia - Nozay(d) Samsung - Orange - Saint-Ouen
Figure 4: View of the spectrum in the absence of traffic. Y-axis, received power level in logarithmic scale,depending on the frequency on the x-axis (100 or 120 MHz around the central frequency of the antenna'stransmitting band), the colours indicate the occurrence of the observed levels, most of the time only the noiselevel in the band is measured (indicated in yellow) and from time to time the signalling signals, indicated in blue,
are observed.

4.5.1.2. Time vision
A temporal analysis around the central frequency makes it possible to view the temporal occupancyof the signalling signals. Figure 5 shows the temporal behaviour of the signal over a few frames. 5Gframes last 10 ms and SSB signals are transmitted every other frame in the observed configurations.
SSB signals range in number from 1 to 8 depending on the case, and sweep the antenna coveragearea in less than 2 milliseconds. The other RS reference signals are also visible and very brief.

13

First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots
5 ms

1 SSB

20 ms

1 SSB

RS

(a) Ericsson - Orange - Douai - 1 SSB
7.5 ms
1 SSB
20 ms(b) Samsung - Orange - Saint-Ouen - 1 SSB
5 ms

6 SSB

RS

20 ms

(c) Nokia - Nozay - 6 SSB

14

First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots
4 ms

20 ms
7 SSB
RS

RS

(d) Huawei - Bouygues Telecom - Mérignac - 7 SSB

4 ms
8 SSB

20 ms
RS

(e) Nokia - Nozay - 8 SSB
Figure 5: temporal view around the SSB central frequency in the absence of traffic over the duration ofa few frames (from 40 ms to 75 ms depending on the site).

4.5.1.3. Levels of received electric fields
The average electric field strength measured at distances ranging from 35 m to 200 m from the 5G
antennas, in the absence of traffic, over the 100 MHz transmitter frequency band is between
0.01 V/m and 0.6 V/m (see Table 5).
Town/City
MérignacChâtillon
Toulouse
Douai
Nozay
Pau

Manufacturer
Huawei
Huawei
HuaweiEricsson
Nokia
HuaweiOperator
Bouygues Telecom
OrangeSFR
OrangeNokia
OrangeElectric field strength without traffic
0.1 V/m - 0.2 V/m
0.05 V/m - 0.2 V/m
0.1 V/m - 0.2 V/m
0.1 V/m
0.05 V/m - 0.6 V/m
0.01 V/m - 0.1 V/mTable 5: Electric field strength measured without traffic on the sites that were the subject of supplementary measurements.

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First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots

4.5.2.

With continuous traffic in one beam

4.5.2.1. Spectral vision
In this test configuration, the base station sends a constant, continuous stream of data in a given
direction. Figure 6 illustrates the appearance of spectra over time during a permanent downlink
transmission. The colours indicate the occurrence of received power levels in logarithmic scale on theordinate, depending on the frequency on the abscissa (100 or 120 MHz around the central frequencyof the antenna's transmitting band). The transmission is permanent, but slots reserved for the uplinkof the selected TDD format still appear during which no signal is sent by the antenna. The TDD ratio
here is 75% and is shown in the spectrum by two frequently measured levels (shown in yellow in the
figure), the highest level corresponding to downlink transmissions and the lowest level corresponding
to the noise level in the band measured on the uplink slots during which there is no transmission.
It can be seen that on the Nokia and Samsung sites, the SSB signal levels are above traffic signal
levels. A specificity of steered beam antennas is that signalling signals are not necessarily sent withthe same radiation pattern as working traffic signals. The gain in the user’s direction may therefore
be different (stronger or weaker) for SSBs or for traffic, which may result in different levels ofreception per elementary resource. On the Nokia and Samsung sites, at the reception point underconsideration, SSB reception levels are higher than traffic reception levels. On the Huawei sites in
Mérignac and on Ericsson sites at the reception points under consideration, the SSB reception levels
are either identical to or weaker than the traffic reception levels, and are therefore not visible on the
spectrum.

Average level during
downlink times

Noise level during
uplink times(a) Huawei - Bouygues Telecom - Mérignac - the SSBs are no longer visible due to a level identical to or weaker
than the traffic level

16

First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots(b) Ericsson - Orange - Douai - the SSBs are no longer visible due to an identical or weaker level than the
traffic(c) Nokia - Nozay - the SSBs are visible in the centre of the band due to a slightly stronger level than the traffic(d) Samsung - Orange - Saint-Ouen - the SSBs are visible at the bottom of the band due to a slightly stronger
level than the traffic
Figure 6: Spectra observed when the antenna transmits all its resources to serve a user in a given direction. On
the Y-axis, the received power level in logarithmic scale depending on the frequency on the x-axis (100 or 120
MHz around the central frequency of the antenna's transmitting band). The colours indicate the occurrence ofobserved levels; yellow levels are the most frequent. All 100 MHz of the band is occupied during downlink
transmissions and during uplink times there are no transmissions and the received level is the noise level in theband.

4.5.2.2. Time vision
The time vision integrated over a small bandwidth (from 100 kHz to 3 MHz depending on the site)around the SSB central frequency (see Figure 7) makes it possible to observe, for one to a few 10 ms
frames, the reception of the SSBs and then the reception of traffic in the defined frame DDDSU or
DDDDDDDSUU format depending on the site.

17

First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots

3 ms

7 SSB

(a) Huawei - SFR - Toulouse - 7 SSB - DDDSU Format

1 ms(b) Nokia - Nozay - 6 SSB - DDDSU Format

1 SSB

4 ms
(c) Samsung - Orange -Saint-Ouen -1 SSB- DDDSU Format

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First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots

2 ms(d) Ericsson - Orange - Douai - 1 undetectable SSB - DDDSU format

Frame with SSB

Frame without SSB(e) Huawei - Orange - Pau -4 SSB - Format DDDDDDDSUU
Figure 7: Time views over a small bandwidth (from 100 kHz to 3 MHz depending on the site) around the SSB
central frequency with continuous downlink traffic over a duration of from one to four frames depending on thesite.

The SSBs are transmitted over a small part of the frequency band corresponding to 20 RB (resource
blocks) or, here, 7.4 MHz of band; therefore, outside the SSB transmission frequency band, all theslots are used for traffic, the SSBs are no longer visible, as shown in Figure 8 over 1 MHz at the top of
the band (around 3661 MHz) for the DDDSU format.

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First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots

Figure 8: Time vision on 1 MHz at the top of the band around 3661 MHz (therefore outside the SSBs) with
continuous downlink traffic over a duration of four frames (40 ms).

4.5.2.3. Measured electric field strengths
On all the sites considered, electric field measurements were taken at a height of 1.5 m at various
distances from the antennas, in the 5G antenna frequency band. Except for the Châtillon site, all themeasurements were taken outdoors.
In the axis connecting the antenna to the terminal, at a height of 1.5 m, electric field strengths ofbetween 0.25 V/m and 9 V/m were measured, outdoors, at distances ranging from 2 to 250 m fromthe antennas for transmission over a 100 MHz bandwidth and a maximum transmitted power of
200 W.


Bouygues Telecom Huawei site in Mérignac

On this site, the 64T64R antenna is installed at a height of 8 m on a tree-shaped support. The
maximum electric field was measured at this site at about 9 V/m in the vicinity of the CPE served by
the antenna.
Figure 9 shows the electric field strength measured at different distances from the 5G antenna, along
the CPE axis. Reflections from the ground result in constructive and destructive field combinations
which explain the field strength of only 4 V/m at 120 m from the antenna and the field strength of
8.5 V/m at 90 m from the antenna.

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First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots

Average electric field E (V/m)

Measurement in the antenna - CPE axis

Distance to the antenna (m)Figure 9: at the top, satellite view of the Mérignac measurement site with the positioning of the antenna, theCPE which received the data sent by the antenna and the measurement axis, at the bottom the illustration of
the average electric field assessed over 100 MHz bandwidth at a height of 1m50 depending on the distance tothe antenna.

Figure 10 shows the beam width at 1.5 m from the ground and at a distance of 150 m from theantenna. As one moves away from the CPE served by the antenna, the average field strength drops
rapidly (by a factor of 2 at 7.5 m on either side of the CPE). On one side of the CPE the reflection of
the field on the large building is observed, this reflection causes a field strength of 8 V/m at about
15 m from the CPE compared to a little more than 1 V/m at the same distance from the CPE, but on
the other side, with no reflection.

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First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots

Average electric field E (V/m)

Measurement on the sides of the CPE

Lateral distance from the CPE (m)Figure 10: Average electric field strength assessed over 100 MHz bandwidth and measured on both sides of
the CPE located at 150 metres from the antenna.

The field strengths measured outside the antenna-CPE axis were between 0.4 V/m and 1.2 V/m forcontinuous transmission over 50 MHz5 bandwidth.

Figure 11: field strength measured outside the antenna transmission axis. In the 50 MHz band axis, the electric field strength
was measured at 6.5 V/m.



SFR Huawei site in Toulouse

On this site, the 64T64R antenna is installed on the roof of a building at a height of 27 m. Traffic iscontinuously established between the antenna and a CPE placed in the line of sight of the antenna(point A on Figure 12). Figure 12 shows the field strengths measured near the CPE and outside thebeam axis.

5

It was not possible to take all the measurements using continuous transmission on 100 MHz due to the limited
reception of the CPE used during the tests. In these conditions, the antenna was at 50% of its maximum load.

22

First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots

Figure 12: Satellite view of the Toulouse site with the position of the CPE in red and the field strengths measured
in V/m at different points in yellow for a continuous emission over 100 MHz bandwidth with a maximum powerof 200 W.

The maximum electric field strength was measured in these conditions on this site at 8.3 V/m three
metres from the CPE near a building (see Figure 13). Reflections on this building may explain thishigher value than in the immediate vicinity of the CPE.

Average electric field E (V/m)

CPE at point A - lateral measurements

CPE
Distance from the CPE (m)Figure 13: average electric field strength assessed over 100 MHz bandwidth and measured on either side of

the CPE located 90 metres from the antenna.

Orange Huawei site in Toulouse

On the Châtillon site, the antenna power was limited to 2 W. It was possible to take indoor
measurements near the antenna with the windows open or shut (see Figure 14). The CPE was locatednear the window, 35 m from the antenna in its median azimuth in one case (left photo in Figure 14)
and 7.8 m from the antenna in a very offset azimuth (right photo in Figure 14).

23

First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots
With the windows shut, the field strengths received from the antenna are strongly attenuated, up toa factor of 25 in the immediate vicinity of the antenna (figure on the right).
5G

5G
antennaantenna5

0. 2

5G antenna

0.75 0.17

Figure 14: Indoor measurement points near the Châtillon site antenna, in yellow the field strength in V/mmeasured with the window open and in blue the field strength in V/m measured with the window shut. On theleft, CPE and measurement point at 35 m in the median azimuth of the antenna, on the right CPE andmeasurement point at 7.8 m from the antenna in a very offset azimuth.

Field E rms (V/m)

Field E rms (V/m)

Measurements were also taken outdoors with the CPE placed 60 m away from the base of theantenna: the maximum field strength averaged over 6 minutes and measured over 100 MHz of bandin this configuration was 0.65 V/m for 2 W maximum power at the antenna.

Distance to antenna (m)Lateral distance from the CPE (m)Figure 15: At the top, overhead view of the Châtillon site. The CPE is placed at the red point and the yellow points show themeasurement points in the antenna axis and on the sides of the CPE. At the bottom, 6-minute average field strengths
measured over 100 MHz band in the antenna axis (on the left) and on the sides of the CPE (on the right).

24

First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots


Orange Huawei site in Pau

On this site, the antennas were located on a 45 metre high building and traffic was continuously
directed towards a mobile located 125 metres from the antenna, in direct view in a street at the footof the building supporting the antennas (see Figure 16).

5G
antenna

Mobileposition

Figure 16: Aerial view of the Pau site with the antennas on a building 45 m high and the CPE located 125 metres from theantenna, in direct view in a street at the foot of the building supporting the antennas. The yellow and orange dots are themeasuring points.

On this site, the transmission came from either a 32T32R or an 8T8R antenna. The 8T8R antenna's
vertical orientation capability is much lower than that of the 32T32R antenna, which in turn is lessthan that of a 64T64R antenna.

E field (V/m)

The maximum field strengths averaged over 6 minutes and measured over 100 MHz band are
1.8 V/m in the case of the 32T32R antenna and 1 V/m in the case of the 8T8R antenna (see Figure17). Probably neither the mobile nor the measurement points were located in the direct lobe of theantenna, whether in the case of the 32T32R or the 8T8R antenna, which explains the lower fieldstrengths than in other cases, such as in Toulouse or Mérignac for example.

32T32R antenna
8T8R antenna

Distance to the antenna (m)25E field (V/m)

First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots

32T32R antenna
8T8R antenna

Lateral distance to the mobile (m)Figure 17: 6-minute average field strengths measured on 100 MHz band in the antenna line-of-sight for the upper figure andon the side of the mobile for the lower figure in the case of continuous transmission from the antenna
32T32R for the blue dots and the 8T8R antenna for the red dots.

Orange Ericsson site in Douai

In Douai, the 64T64R antenna was located on a building at a height of 28 metres and themeasurements were taken near the 5G modem in a car park in direct view of the antenna and in its
main line of sight (see Figure 18).
antennaFigure 18: Satellite view of the Douai site with the antenna on a building roof, the 5G modem in a car park (orange dot)
and the measurement points in yellow.

The maximum 6-minute average field strength assessed over 100 MHz of band is 1.4 V/m on this site
in these configurations. The 6-minute average field strengths measured along the axis of the antenna
and at the sides of the modem are shown in Figure 19. These field strengths are lower than thoseobserved in similar conditions (such as at the Toulouse site for example). These lower levels areprobably due to a lower antenna steering capability and a lower level of gain in the direction of the26

First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots
terminal than the maximum antenna gain.

Average electric field E (V/m)

Measurement in the car park in the line of sight of the antenna

Distance to the antenna (m)Average electric field strength E (V/m)

Car park measurement on the sides of the 5G resource

Lateral distance to the modem (m)Figure 19: 6-minute average field strengths measured over 100 MHz band in the antenna line-of-sight for the figure at the
top and on the side of the 5G modem (UE) for the figure at the bottom.

Nokia site in Nozay

In Nozay, two 64T64R antennas are installed on a 40 metre high building (see Figure 22). One of theantennas (sector 1) is installed on the top floor of the building at a height of 38.5 m and is directed
towards a car park with a very high mechanical tilt of 18 degrees. An antenna test mode is used tosend traffic continuously and with the antenna at maximum load. Considering the 18-degree tilt, theantenna's line of sight fires at about 124 metres from the antenna.

27

First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots

Figure 20: aerial view of the Nozay site and sector n°1 pointing towards a car park, the measurement points are shown inblack. The antenna and its line of sight are shown in red.

The maximum 6-minute average field strength assessed over 100 MHz of band is 6 V/m in this sector
and these configurations. Figure 21 shows the field strengths measured in the line of sight of theantenna and perpendicular to it. A building located about 150 m from the antenna can explain thefield variations between 130 and 140 m in the line of sight of the antenna.
Lateral measurement

Electric field E (V/m)

Electric field E (V/m)

Measurement in the antenna beam axis

Distance to the antenna (m)Lateral distance (m)Figure 21: 6-minute average electric field strengths measured at sector 1 of the Nokia site in Nozay on the left in the line ofsight of the antenna and on the right perpendicular to the line of sight of the antenna at about 140 metres from theantenna.

The other antenna (sector 4) is installed on the roof of the building at a height of 41.5 m and isdirected towards fields with a mechanical tilt of 8 degrees (see Figure 22). The antenna test mode
makes it possible for data to be transmitted in a tilted beam of 18 degrees (8 degrees mechanical and10 degrees electrical) which therefore theoretically fires at 134 m from the antenna.

28

First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots

Figure 22: Sector 4 of Nokia's site in Nozay with an antenna installed at a height of 41.5 metres (shown in red in the
picture) and measuring points shown in black in the picture.

The maximum 6-minute average field strength assessed over 100 MHz of band is 3.5 V/m in this
sector and these configurations. This electric field strength is lower than in sector 1 because of theelectrical tilt which causes gain losses. Figure 23 shows the field strengths measured in the line ofsight of the antenna and perpendicular to it.

Lateral measurement

Electric field E (V/m)

Electric field E (V/m)

Measurement in the antenna beam axis

Distance to the antenna (m)Lateral distance (m)Figure 23: 6-minute average electric field strengths measured at sector 4 of the Nokia site in Nozay on the left in the line ofsight of the antenna and on the right perpendicular to the line of sight of the antenna at just under 140 metres from theantenna.

4.5.3.

With file transfer

In this configuration, exposure is triggered by a file download requested by the CPE, the modem or
the mobile phone. Different file sizes from 150 MB to 10 GB were used. As a reference, ameasurement without traffic, i.e. without downloading, was also taken, as well as a measurement in
the configuration discussed in the previous paragraph, i.e. with a continuous transmission at fullantenna load in the direction of the equipment (infinite case in the following tables).
Table 6, Table 7 and Table 8 summarise the field strengths measured over 6 minutes in the vicinity ofthe equipment receiving the files of different sizes for the 3 sites where this configuration wasprocessed.

29

First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots
Download time

File Size

Average E over 6
minutes

No downloads

0 MB

0.2 V/m

2s

150 MB

0.5 V/m

7s

500 MB

0.8 V/m

15 s

1 GB

1.1 V/m

150 s

10 GB

3.9 V/mInfinity

Infinity

6.5 V/mTable 6: Average field strengths measured over 6 minutes near a CPE downloading files of different sizes fromthe Huawei Bouygues Telecom site in Mérignac. The infinite case corresponds to a continuous data transmission
at full antenna load to the equipment.

Download time

File Size

Average E over 6
minutes

No downloads

0 MB

0.28 V/m

19 s

1 GB

1.6 V/m

190 s

10 GB

4.8 V/mInfinity

Infinity

8.2 V/mTable 7: Average field strengths measured over 6 minutes near a CPE downloading files of different sizes on the

Nokia site in Nozay. The infinite case corresponds to a continuous data transmission at full antenna load to theequipment.

Download time

File Size

Average E over 6
minutes

No downloads

0 MB

0.2 V/m

2s

150 MB

0.3 V/m

7s

500 MB

0.6 V/m

14 s

1 GB

0.8 V/m

134 s

10 GB

2.4 V/mInfinity

Infinity

3.9 V/mTable 8: Average field strengths measured over 6 minutes near a CPE downloading files of different sizes on the

Huawei SFR site in Toulouse. The infinite case corresponds to a continuous data transmission at full antennaload to the equipment.

The exposure level is assessed over 6 minutes and therefore depends mainly on use. By way ofcomparison, a typical current monthly 4G 10 GB package could be used up in about 150 s (2 min 30 s)
in the test conditions.

30First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots

5. Outlook
5.1.

Exposure indicator

The measurement of exposure in the field in particular fulfils a need for information on the levels of
exposure encountered on a daily basis. For mobile telephony, with the technologies currently
deployed and current uses, the level measured with a broadband probe (case A of the ANFR
measurement protocol) during the day, regardless of the time of day, is a good indicator of exposure,generally close to that which would be observed by taking continuous measurements averaged over
six minutes: in fact, the amplitude of the variations during the day observed in the studies is generally
low, at less than 30%.
With 5G steered beam antennas, greater spatial and temporal variability is foreseeable and the level
read at the broadband probe at any given time may no longer be a good indicator of exposure. The
level of exposure will indeed highly depend on the use, and in particular on the data calls made by
the terminal.
A new indicator is therefore proposed, based on the foreseeable use of 5G: one gigabyte of data sent
in a given direction every 6 minutes. Assuming an average rate of 500 Mbps, the antenna will onlytransmit in the given direction for about 15 seconds out of the 6 minutes (about 4% of the time). This
indicator has been included in the national guidelines on the presentation of simulation results of
exposure to waves emitted by radio installations.
Assuming 8 active beams to serve the antenna coverage area, the area covered by the antenna willthus receive an average of 8 GB every 6 minutes, which corresponds to 960 GB per day assuming 12hours of network use per day, and 28,800 GB per month. There were 47.7 million 4G SIM cards inFrance at the end of 2018 and nearly 40,000 4G sites in service, which means that the average
number of users per site can be estimated at 1,000. Using these assumptions, the monthly 5G
consumption would be 28 GB per month. By way of comparison, the average 4G consumption in thelast quarter of 2018 was 7 GB per month on average: taking into account the fourfold increase in
consumption currently observed, this volume takes into account the change in uses that seems likely
to be brought about by 5G.
The assumptions used to define this indicator will be compared with the exposure measurements inthe field for the 5G commercial networks and will be revised if necessary, particularly in the event of
an increase in data consumption.
The interest of this indicator is that it makes it possible to calculate exposure in real conditions byapplying a reduction factor in relation to theoretical maximum antenna power.
Currently, in the national guidelines on the presentation of simulation results published by the
ANFR6, a factor of 1.6 (i.e. 4 dB in power) is applied to the calculated electric field strength to accountfor statistical variations over 6 minutes for fixed beam antennas.

6

https://www.anfr.fr/fileadmin/mediatheque/documents/5G/consultation/consultation-5G-Lignes-directricesnational.pdf

31

First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots
For indoor use, it is supplemented by a factor of 20% (i.e. 2 dB in power) to take into account theattenuation by single glazing.
For 5G, several factors will apply:--

the TDD ratio, as the antennas do not transmit continuously and provide listening ranges toreceive signals from terminals: typically 75% power (i.e. 1.25 dB);
the statistical variations over 6 minutes in the case of variable-beam antennas: considering
the high beam mobility, which must constantly scan the entire sector covered by the antenna
in order to serve the terminals located there: these are reflected by a power ratio of 4% (i.e.
13.5 dB);
Attenuation through glazing: identical to 4G, 20% in field (i.e. 2dB in power)

This indicator results in a reduction factor which makes it possible to calculate the exposure in realconditions using the theoretical maximum antenna power.
The field strengths at 100 metres from a 5G antenna resulting from the application of the indicatorappear to be comparable to those found at the same distance from a 4G antenna (see Table 9).
4G

Current

FutureMaximum power

60 W

160 W

Maximum antenna gain

18 dBi18 dBi6-minute attenuation- 4 dB- 4 dB

Glazing- 2 dB- 2 dBE field estimated at 100 m

1.7 V/m

2.8 V/mTable 9: Estimated electric field strength at 100 metres from a 4G antenna inside a building with a typicalcurrent power assumption and a future power assumption .

5G

Low assumption

High assumption

Power

80 W

200 W

Gain

24 dBi24 dBi6-minute attenuation- 13.5 dB- 13.5 dB

Glazing- 2 dB- 2 dB

TDD- 1.25 dB- 1.25 dB

E field estimated at 100 m

1.1 V/m

1.8 V/mTable 10: Estimated electric field strength at 100 metres from a 5G antenna inside a building with a low powerassumption and a high power assumption.

However, for 4G, the reduction factor applies to the maximum antenna gain value which is only
measured in the main antenna direction: outside this main direction, the field strength will be lower.
On the other hand, with 5G steered beam antennas, the exposure calculated using the indicator will
be valid in a higher number of directions

32

First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots

5.2.

Safety perimeters

When installing radio sites, mobile operators must install safety perimeters around the radio basestations outside of which the level of exposure of the general public to the electromagnetic fields
emitted by radio installations is below the limit values.
The ANFR publishes an informative guide that establishes practical rules for the installation of radiosites7.
For currently deployed technology, the mobile phone operators use the theoretical maximum power
to determine the safety perimeters, without taking into account possible variations over 6 minutes.
This simplified approach is therefore independent of the duration.
With the use of steered beam antennas, spatial and temporal variability is expected to increase andthis approach no longer seems appropriate.
The proposed solution, in particular in the IEC8 standardisation groups, is to use the maximum 6minute average power to determine the safety perimeters instead of the maximum peak power.
However, the use of this maximum 6-minute average power to determine safety perimeters is
subject to the availability of tools to make sure that the 6-minute average power used to calculate
safety perimeters is never exceeded in the field.

7

https://www.anfr.fr/fileadmin/mediatheque/documents/sites/2018-05-07_ANFR-DR175_Guide_Périmètres_de_Sécurité_VF.pdf
8
IEC TR 62669:2019 Case studies supporting IEC 62232 - Determination of RF field strength, power density andSAR in the vicinity of radiocommunication base stations for the purpose of evaluating human exposure

33

First exposure measurement results on 5G 3.4 GHz - 3.8 GHz pilots

6. Conclusions
These initial measurements covered several antenna configurations (different brands of antenna,different sizes) and different implementations of 5G NR (for example with a different number of SSBs
or different frame formats).
The levels of the measured fields are all well below the regulatory limit value of 61 V/m in the 3.4 3.8 GHz frequency band.
The measurements taken have confirmed that the exposure to the waves depends on many
parameters, including:•••the distance between the antenna and the terminal, which is classic;
the beam focus and the number of beams controlled by the antenna;
the duration of presence of the beam in each direction and therefore of the data
requests by the terminals in the beam.

These first measurements were taken in special configurations allowing good control of themeasurement conditions. These configurations were implemented because the networks were notopen to the operators' customers. After the networks have been opened to the operators'
customers, new measurements will make it possible to test more realistic configurations in terms of
traffic and to supplement the conclusions of this report.
Furthermore, these measurements concerned almost exclusively outdoor measurements. Indoor
measurements will complete the analysis.
Finally, this study focused on the 3.4 - 3.8 GHz band, which will be the first to be used for 5G in
France. Initial experiments in the 26 GHz band were authorised by ARCEP at the end of 2019. 5G will
also need to be studied in this new frequency band.

34