It’s Just A Telecom Tower Not A Nuclear Plant!!

Go anywhere in the country, be it urban sections, rural geographies, educated communities, industrial towns suburbs or metropolitans, the word telecom tower is surrounded by myths that take you back in time when people believed that Earth was flat. The beliefs are so strong that degrees from reputed educational institutions fail to convince people to let go of their myths and associated misconceptions about telecom towers and Radiation. Ironically in a world so unbalanced a common factor that binds the society together is a myth, a farce, that has been scientifically discarded with enough empirical data points proving Telecom towers ‘Not Guilty’ of causing cancer!!

While people are justified in being overtly cautious about the safety and wellbeing of their loved ones but it is equally important for them to understand the technology and be able to differentiate between the myths and realities.

Initial culprits were identified as the telecom operators and the lobbying groups to be giving baseless theories about telecom towers having no adverse effects on the health of the living beings around it, then suddenly the concept of losing male potency originated scaring the daylights out of people, then there were videos and graphics of mobile phone radiations being able to pop popcorns and then there were individuals and indifferences of our community to believe anything being fed to them in the name of health hazards. Then began the blame game on the authorities and telecom stakeholders to be partnering with Network providers and accusations for easing the guidelines and emission norms set for Telecom towers and base stations. The list was endless and had detrimental effects in framing a policy framework and growth of the sector. Individuals, NGOs, citizen charters and resident welfare associations began propagating the thought with some baseless case studies and claims leading to unrest in some locations.

While the sector and this specific issue was being compared to Tobacco and Liquor lobby, came forth the norms (one of the most stringiest) and standards by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Telecom Regulator making the radiation/emission way below the approved levels. More so, these statistics when pitted against the standards followed by International Commission on non-ionising Radiation Protection suggested that India’s safety factor was (and is still) 10 times stiffer than in 90 percent countries. So much so, the radio frequency radiation from mobile towers and phones are in the range as minuscule as one-thousandth to one-millionth of an electron Volt! Thus, mobile tower “radiation” is lakhs of times weaker than X-rays or UV rays or even normal visible light. In fact, so low that they simply cannot cause any disturbance of electrons in the basic atoms of matter or living tissue. Hence, they are classified as “non-ionising radiation”.

And if the telecom stakeholders were also not to be trusted, came the studies from World Health Organization, The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and National Green Tribunal (NGT) and Researchers from IIT Madras, IIT Bombay, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Delhi and IISc Bangalore giving real data and proof points from studies conducted over a decade long period proving that there is no harmful impact of tower radiation on health. The reports claim that it is more inappropriate or bizarre to link up mobile tower emissions with the former category of high energy radiation which includes frequencies beyond ultraviolet, i.e. X-rays, gamma rays, etc. These all studies and findings were further backed by the rulings from Allahabad, Gujarat and Kerala High courts.

Kudos to the Government and Telecom department which has decided to be vocal about the misconceptions and clear the unnecessary confusion around the telecom base stations and radiations, leveraging the empirical data and research from these studies to propagate this amongst the masses.

While the information that was being circulated earlier was baseless and wrong, it is also time for the sector and stakeholders to use the right terminology and tonality for the telecom processes and equipments that make it sound simple and un-jargonized. They should associate and engage at a micro level helping individuals and groups understand and accept the technology as a support function rather than a ‘necessary evil’.

Read the full article here.

Wireless technologies key to India’s development: Telecom secretary

India needs to embrace and harness wireless communication technologies to become the most developed nation in the coming decades, telecom secretary JS Deepak said.

“Whether India grows at normal pace or it actually leapfrogs to become one of the most developed nation in coming decades, will inter-alia depend on how we embrace and harness wireless communication technologies,” he said at at the inaugural session of a public outreach and awareness programme on electromagnetic field (EMF) emissions and mobile towers organised here under the DoT’s aegis.

 Stressing telecom towers are critical installations on which the backbone of wireless communication rests, he said that unfounded apprehensions around EMF emissions and mobile towers have the potential to derail the country’s growth story.

Deepak also said that there is no scientific evidence backing the claim that EMF radiation from mobile towers – which are below the safe limits prescribed by the International Commission on Non-ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) – can cause adverse health effects.

The DoT has already prescribed strict precautionary norms for exposure limit for the radio frequency field (base station emissions) which is 10 times more stringent than the existing limits prescribed by ICNIRP and recommended by WHO.

 “Our EMF norms are much stricter than what is followed by many developed nations, including the US, the UK and most parts of the European Union. Further, the government of India has taken adequate steps to ensure that telecommunications service providers strictly adhere to these prescribed norms,” he added.

Read the full article here.

DoT can slap Rs 10 Lakh fine for violating Electromagnetic Field Emission norms

A public outreach and awareness program was organized under the aegis of Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Emissions and Mobile Towers.

Delivering the inaugural address J S Deepak, Secretary, DoT, Ministry of Communications & IT, Govt. of India & Chairman, Telecom Commission, brought out the important role played by mobile telephony and various benefits derived from it, at an individual, social and national level. He emphasized that whether India grows at normal pace or it actually leapfrogs to become one of the most developed nation in coming decades, will inter-alia depend on how we embrace and harness wireless communication technologies.

He said that telecom towers are critical installations on which the backbone of wireless communication rests and unfounded apprehensions around EMF emissions and mobile towers have the potential to derail our growth story. The DoT Secretary said that there is no scientific evidence backing the claim that EMF radiation from mobile towers — which are below the safe limits prescribed by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) — can cause adverse health effects. The DoT has already prescribed strict precautionary norms for exposure limit for the Radio Frequency Field (Base Station Emissions) which is ten times more stringent than the existing limits prescribed by ICNIRP and recommended by WHO. Our EMF norms are much stricter than what is followed by many developed nations, including the US, the UK and most parts of the European Union. Further, the Government of India has taken adequate steps to ensure that Telecommunications Service Providers strictly adhere to these prescribed norms, he added.

Dr R M Chaturvedi, DDG-CS, DoT, pointed out that WHO has referred to approximately 25,000 studies, conducted around the world over the past 30 years, and based on an in-depth review of scientific literature, has concluded, “Despite the feeling of some people that more research needs to be done, scientific knowledge in this area is now more extensive than for most chemicals. Current evidence does not confirm the existence of any health consequences from exposure to low level electromagnetic fields.”

He also referred to EMF Project established by WHO, in which over 50 national authorities and 8 international organizations are involved. Together, since 1996, they have been reviewing scientific information to provide scientifically sound and objective answers to public concerns about thepossible hazards of low-level electromagnetic fields. He has observed that despite extensive research, to date there is no evidence to conclude that exposure to low-level electromagnetic fields is harmful to human health.

A Committee, formed at the behest of Allahabad High Court comprising experts from five IITs, AIIMS (Delhi), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow, has also on the basis of scientific evidence, studies and reports available, found that there is no conclusive evidence about the stated dangers of EMF radiation from mobile BTS tower.

Shivendra Bhatnagar, Senior DDG, Telecom Enforcement Resource & Monitoring (TERM) unit, said, ” Strict monitoring and enforcement mechanism has been put in place by the DoT for EMF-related compliance. In case any BTS site is found to violate prescribed EMF norms, actions are taken to put a penalty of Rs 10 lakh per BTS per incidence, including closing of BTS site in case violation persists.

Several High Courts, including the High Courts of Punjab & Haryana, Madras, Kerala, Gujarat and Allahabad in cases related to issue of effects of the radiation from cellphone towers have given judgments whereby they have dismissed petitions, where the mobile tower installations were challenged in various localities, including residential, on grounds of health effects of EMF radiation.”

V K Gautam, Principal Secretary, IT, Govt of Maharashtra, emphasized on the need of creating robust infrastructure in order to enhance the quality of broadband and calling services.

Dr Suresh Attili from Grace Cancer Foundation and Dr. Anirudh Kohli, Head of Radiology, Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai, endorsed the fact that scientific studies have not been able to conclude that EMF emissions from mobile towers can cause health hazards. Mobile towers in India have been found to be completely safe and emissions well within the prescribed Government of India norms. The program concluded with an interactive Q&A session between senior government officials and participants from civil society, RWA’s and the media.

Read the full article here.

Department of Telecommunications (DoT)

 

Telecommunications is the most important aspect of our lives today. In fact, communication is what has made the world as advanced and modern as it is today, thanks to the social, technological and economic advances it has brought about. And when something achieves such a magnitude of importance, it requires rules and regulations to help govern it and to help it grow and prosper.

In India, the Department of Telecommunications or the DoT is the governing body that looks into “Policy, Licensing and Coordination matters relating to telegraphs, telephones, wireless, data, facsimile and telematic services and other like forms of communications.”

Established on 11th April, 1989, the DoT was given multiple administrative and financial powers to administrate the various aspects of Telecommunications. This includes:

• International cooperation with regards to telecommunications, and co-operation with other international telecom bodies such as International Telecommunication Union (ITU), its Radio Regulation Board (RRB), Radio Communication Sector (ITU-R), Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T), Development Sector (ITU-D), International Telecommunication Satellite Organization (INTELSAT), International Mobile Satellite Organization (INMARSAT), Asia Pacific Telecommunication (APT).

• Promotion of standardization, research and development in telecommunications.

• Promotion of private investment in Telecommunications

amongst other things.

Since Telecom is a major growth driver, the DoT has charted out a route map for India’s future in this sector. After all, India is is the fastest growing telecom sector in the world with more than 16 million subscribers being added every month. Further details can be found on the DoT website at – http://www.dot.gov.in

The vision of the Department is to “empower the people of India by providing secure,reliable, affordable and high quality converged telecommunication services anytime, anywhere.