Awareness Webinar on EMF Radiation organized by Dept. of Telecommunications, West Bengal LSA

West Bengal, June 8, 2022: Department of Telecommunications (DoT), West Bengal License Service Area (LSA) today organized an awareness webinar on “EMF Emissions and Telecom Towers”. This session was organized as part of DoT’s public advocacy program to make the general public aware of the need for mobile towers and dispel myths regarding the health effects of EMF exposure from mobile towers.

The workshop was attended by more than 100 participants including government officials, the general public, residents’ welfare associations, students, doctors, telecom service providers, infrastructure providers, and other officials. The eminent key speakers at the event were Sh. R.K Sharma, Sr. DDG; Sh. Pabitra Sarkar, DDG (Compliance), DoT WB LSA, Sri T. Mag, Director(C1), DoT, WB LSA, and Sri S.K. Deka, Director(C2), DoT, WB LSA as well as Dr. Vivek Tandon, Associate Professor, AIIMS Delhi

While giving an outline of the telecommunication services and highlighting the issues faced by the stakeholder Sr DDG, mentioned, “5G – the 5th generation of mobile technologies – is an evolution from the previous generations of mobile technology: 2G, 3G and 4G. There is no evidence that electromagnetic fields from existing (2G, 3G and 4G) mobile networks pose any health risks since LSA units of DoT enforce the exposure limits established by Govt. of India. It is important to install a robust network of telecom infrastructure including mobile towers, small cell, fibre etc. to make India digitally advanced. “

Briefing on the Telecommunication Services, EMF Exposure and the status of compliance, Director, DoT West Bengal, said, “The Government of India follows norms that are 10 times stricter than what has been prescribed by ICNIRP and recommended by WHO. DoT continuously monitors the EMF emission levels from towers across India and ensures compliance with emission norms across the country through its field. All telecom service providers are required to ensure the radiation from mobile towers (BTSs) is within prescribed safe limits. LSA also conducts physical audits of sites by selecting them randomly and testing the power of the available EMF signals at different probable locations near the site. West Bengal LSA has tested BTSs 1714 from April 2021 to March 2022 and all BTSs have been found compliant as per DoT Norms. There is a need to bust the myth about the health effects of Electromagnetic Field Radiation (EMR) exposure from diverse EMR sources especially Mobile BTS antennae and mobile phones. Therefore, one must rely on the scientific data that EMF radiation from mobile tower is safe.’’

Dr. Vivek Tandon, Associate Professor AIIMS Delhi also shared his perspective and cleared misconceptions surrounding mobile tower radiations. He said, “The EMF radiation is low non-ionizing RF/Electromagnetic energy emitted from mobile tower antenna of 2G/3G/4G/5G technology and mobile handset. With over 35,000 international studies into the health effects of mobile phones over the last two or three decades, it established that the non-ionizing radiation emitted from the cell towers poses no health risk when exposed to electromagnetic fields prescribed within the specified limits by international bodies. According to the Scientific research on the health impacts of radiation from Mobile Towers, it has been found that weak and non-ionizing emission from Mobile Towers has no ill effects on human health, whatsoever. We are thankful to DoT to organise such Webinars as there is a need to create awareness among the general public that radiation from Telecom towers is safe and are required critical for the realizing of the vision of inclusive growth.’’

Citizens must understand that India needs telecom infrastructure for the deployment of 5G and building a reliable network of telecom infrastructure on a robust network of mobile towers will provide mobile connectivity to the farfetched regions of the country. It will help in bridging the digital divide. 5G is the future of the telecom industry. It is a new-age technology that will open infinite possibilities for propelling growth. It is the roadmap to our country’s future growth and socio-economic development, which aspires to become a $5 trillion economy by 2025. India’s 5G subscriptions will reach 350 million by 2026 accounting for 27% of all mobile subscriptions. By 2025, India will need 22 million skilled workers in 5G-centric technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, and cloud computing. 5G will be the leading driver of growth in every sector from agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare, education, robotics, and blockchain to AI-powered drones. In robotics alone, the market is expected to reach Rs 135 billion by 2035. Therefore, more towers are required for the realisation of the vision of Gati Shakti and Digital India’s vision of Govt. of India. It is important to address that the fear surrounding the theories about EMF radiations is uncorroborated. EMF radiations from mobile towers are strictly monitored and assessed on a regular basis. Evidence from credible and extensive research has ruled out any possibility of health issues originating from EMF radiations. Moreover, eight High Courts of India have also upheld the same view and have delivered judgments that aim to disprove all such unfounded fears and misguided activism that is posing a severe challenge to the overall growth and connectivity of the country.

DoT is fully committed and equipped to facilitate compliance with guidelines designed to safeguard beloved citizens from any risk of EMF exposure. People must be informed that proper regulatory frameworks are in place to monitor EMF emission levels and assured that mobile towers do not pose any threat to their health. For towers, emission check: visit http://tarangsanchar.gov.in/EMFportal”.