DoT revises test procedure for measurement of Electro Magnetic Fields from Base Station Antenna

The Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC) has come up with a revised test procedure for the measurement of Electro Magnetic Fields from Base Station Antenna. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) last week in a letter to all Access Service authorization licensees including CMTS, UASL, and UL notified the implementation of the revised TEC test procedure (No. TEC 13019:2021) which supersedes earlier TEC test procedure (No. TEC/TP/EMF/001/04.JUN 2018).

DoT has requested all licensees to ensure that the conduct of audit and provisioning of self-certificate to License Service Area (LSA) Units of Department of Telecom should be done as per the revised TEC test procedure.

“The terms & conditions of the Unified License agreement, inter-alia, provide that “… the Licensee shall conduct audit and provide self certificate, at prescribed interval and as per procedure prescribed by Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC)/ or any other agency authorized by Licensor from time to time for conforming to limits/levels for antenna (Base Station Radiation Emissions) for general public exposure as prescribed by Licensor from time to time…”. Similar terms and conditions are there in CMTS and UASL license agreements,” said DoT in its letter.

The test procedure is to ensure that EMF exposure from cellular base station installations conforms to the exposure limits prescribed by DoT. The telcos have to establish the necessary facilities for self-testing of cellular base station installations and offer them for auditing of EMF exposure compliance to the concerned LSA unit for complying with emission limits as per limits prescribed by DoT.