Mobile phones and other mobile devices require a network of base stations in order to function. The base station antennas transmit and receive RF (radio frequency) signals, or radio waves, to and from.
Are base stations harmful?
This holds true whether the base station is part of a 2G (GSM), a 3G, a 4G (LTE) or a 5G network. The WHO states: “From all evidence accumulated so far, no adverse short- or long-term health effects have been shown to occur from the RF signals produced by base stations.” (WHO fact sheet “Base stations and wireless technologies”)
On the ground, in houses, and other places where people reside, the exposure levels from radio base stations are normally below 1 percent of the limits. Only in the close vicinity of the antennas can the exposure limits sometimes be exceeded.
How high should a cell base station be?
“As a general guideline, cell base stations should not be located less than 1500 ft from the population, and at a height of about 150 ft.” (Levitt 2010)
The study “Radiofrequency radiation from nearby mobile phone base stations-a case comparison of one low and one high exposure apartment “ published in Oncology Letters (Koppel et al 2019) found that the apartment with high RF exposure had outdoor areas as close as 6 meters (about 19.6 feet) from the cell antenna array.
Do mobile phones need a base station?
Mobile phones and other mobile devices require a network of base stations in order to function. The base station antennas transmit and receive RF (radio frequency) signals, or radio waves, to and from mobile phones near the base station. Without these radio waves, mobile communications would not be possible.
The antennas are installed in such a way that unauthorized people do not have access to the area where the limits may be exceeded. This holds true whether the base station is part of a 2G (GSM), a 3G, a 4G (LTE) or a 5G network.