# Electromagnetic Field-Aware Radio Resource Management for 5G and Beyond: A Survey
###### Abstract
Incorporating radioprotection principles into network design is viable but is still lacking in existing research. In order to better protect the public from any possibility of excessive radiation exposure, appropriate radiation protection features can be integrated into resource allocation algorithms for ultra-dense 5G networks. Some recent works have been inspired by this new requirement for 4G and pre-5G networks. However, due to substantial differences in architectures, technologies, and deployment scenarios for 5G networks and the new radiation exposure constraint in the optimization problem, existing methods may not be applicable anymore. In this paper, we presents studies that consider the EMF radiation exposure of some typical future network scenarios and resource allocation techniques used to minimize resources such as transmit power levels or maximize resources such as precoding/beamforming weights such that the exposure levels to radiation are below the safety standards while satisfying users' minimum quality-of-service (QoS) requirements. The ICNIRP [10] has developed a guideline for EMF exposure limits. Based on this guideline, countries set their own national standards for EMF safety. To verify compliance with exposure standards enforced by local or national authorities, measurement or numerical simulation assessment according to ITU-T recommendations K.52 and K.61 is normally carried out by network operators. However, rapidly evolving radio-frequency technologies pose a challenge to the accurate prediction of EMF exposure based on the current guidelines. For example, the simple ray-tracing evaluation recommended by the guidelines does not take into consideration the radically different network architectures and radio technologies that will be adopting 5G standards. It is well recognized that 5G sites will intensively exploit massive multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) precise beamforming frequency bands in the millimeter wave (mmWave) region and new antenna radiation patterns. Rapidly evolving mobile technologies also present a big challenge for regulators in monitoring and verifying compliance to EMF safety standards for mobile services. In Section 4, we present a literature review of research related to EMF exposure due to beamforming and energy-efficient resource allocation and the impacts of integrating reflective intelligent surfaces (RISs) on EMF exposure in 5G mobile networks. This survey follows a structured approach, starting with presenting existing related survey papers, and it highlights differences between our work and existing surveys. This is followed by a comprehensive review on EMF exposure evaluation frameworks for 5G networks, taking into account the impacts of high-energy beams and the millimeter wave spectrum. Next, this paper delves into the categories of EMF exposure used in the evaluation, and different methodologies, such as modeling, simulation, and experimental approaches, are discussed. Additionally, a review of studies that consider EMF-aware resource allocation for 5G networks is discussed, highlighting considerations for managing EMF exposure while optimizing resource allocation. Furthermore, an exploration of EMF exposure in the context of RIS-assisted 5G networks is presented for both uplink and downlink transmission protocols. Finally, challenges and open research topics in the field of EMF exposure management and resource allocation for 5G networks are reported. This paper is organized and structured as shown in Figure 1.