EMF Exposure Reduction Using Weighted Angle Model for Multi-Technology Sectorized BS

Abstract

Mobile networks are now growing quickly due to major advancements in wireless technology especially with the introduction of the Fifth Generation New Radio (5G NR). A greater risk of exposure to electromagnetic field radiation (EMF) is being raised by the widespread deployment of base stations (BSs). Standard guidelines are set to control the amount of EMF radiation. This paper proposed a design model to de-concentrate and reduce the total exposure of the multi-technology BS with no drawbacks on network coverage level and key performance indicators (KPIs). The proposed solution applies the concept of weighted antenna’s azimuth to spread the total exposure by separating the antennas in the same sector. A set of simulations is carried out to calculate the reduction in total exposure ratio (TER) and the Compliance Distance (CD). Also, A field measurement test was done in a life network to validate and evaluate the proposed model under real conditions. Furthermore, the network operation support system (OSS) records were analyzed to evaluate the impact on the network coverage and capacity behavior. The pre- and post-results demonstrate that using the proposed model enhanced the CD and TER., the results show using two azimuths reduces the CD by 23% and by 43.4% when using six antennas. Also, the field test result demonstrated a 19.23% reduction in the Total Exposure Ratio. Overall, the system records show no significant impacts were registered on network coverage level and capacity performance for the sites involved in the test.