Lok Sabha Question No. 589 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-11-20
Subject: Guidelines for Mobile Towers
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: K. Shanmuga Sundaram

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 589 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20 TH   NOVEMBER, 2019

## GUIDELINES FOR MOBILE TOWERS

## 589. SHRI SHANMUGA SUNDARAM K.:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the new radiation limit fixed by the Ministry for cell phone towers;
- (b) the number of mobile towers not adhering to the new guidelines issued by the Ministry along with the action taken against them;
- (c) whether the new guidelines will affect the network quality of all Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the TSPs would be allowed to install new towers across the country and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the guidelines laid down by the Government with regard to maintaining network quality and reduction of call drops?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS, LAW & JUSTICE AND ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)

(a) to (c) Ministry  of  Communications  has  not  fixed  any  new  Electromagnetic  Field  (EMF) emission limit for Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) installed at various mobile towers.The present EMF emission limit as laid down for  BTSs installed at  various  mobile  towers  in  India,  for  which license amendment was issued on 10.01.2013, are as follows:

| Frequency Range     | E-Field Strength (Volt/Meter)   | H-Field Strength (Amp/Meter)   | Power Density (Watt/Sq.Meter)   |
|---------------------|---------------------------------|--------------------------------|---------------------------------|
| 400 MHz to 2000 MHz | 0.434 f ½                       | 0.0011 f ½                     | f / 2000                        |
| 2 GHz to 300 GHz    | 19.29                           | 0.05                           | 1                               |

(f is frequency in MHz)

These norms are 10 times more stringent than the safe limits prescribed by International Commission on  Non  Ionizing  Radiation  Protection  (ICNIRP)and  recommended  by  World  Health  Organization (WHO).

Further,  Government  of  India  has  put  in  place  a  well-structured  process  &  adequate mechanism to ensure that Telecommunications Service Providers strictly adhere to these prescribed norms.  Upto  31.05.2019,  334  number  of  Base  Transceiver  Stations  (BTSs)  have  been  found exceeding  the  prescribed  EMF  radiation  limits.  Field  units  of  Department  of  Telecommunications (DoT) have imposed financial penalty on defaulting Telecom Service Providers (TSPs). In addition, one  non-compliant  BTS  in  Haryana  LSA  was  shut  down  as  per  prescribed  DoT  guidelines.  For remaining non-compliant BTSs, radiation levels have been brought within prescribed radiation limits.

(d) Mobile towers are established/ provided by the telecom service providers at suitable locations, as  per  their  Radio  Frequency  (RF)  network  planning  for  proper  coverage  of  the  area  to  fulfil  the license  conditions,  regulatory  compliances  and  to  meet  their  business  requirements.  As  per  the advisory  guidelines for  State  Government issued by  Department of Telecommunications (DoT) no restriction has been imposed on installation of tower at any specific locations.

(e) With a view to ensure Quality of Service including call drops, Telecom Regulatory Authority of  India  (TRAI)  notifies  Quality  of  Services  regulations  namely  'The  Standards  for  Quality  of Service of Basic (Wireline) and Cellular Mobile Telephone Service Regulations' and in accordance with this regulation TRAI undertakes assessment of performance of all telecom service providers. In the  Quality  of  Service  Regulations  issued  by  TRAI,  provisions  have  been  made  for  imposition  of financial  disincentives  for  non-compliance  with  the  benchmarks  for  various  quality  of  service parameters including call drop.

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