Indian Base Station emissions levels below International Standards
According to a survey commissioned by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) and Association of Unified Telecom Service Providers of India (AUSPI), radio emissions from mobile phone towers in Delhi, India have been found to be hundreds of times below international safety standards.
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai (IITM), Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai (TCE) and Centre of Excellence in Wireless Technology, Chennai (CEWIT), while carrying out measurements on electromagnetic radiation at over 180 locations in New Delhi found that in all circumstances, the Cumulative Measurements were well below the compliance limit set by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), adopted by the Government for the Telecom sector in India, bringing it at par to International safety standards.
While adopting international standards on public health and safety in 2008, companies in India must by law adhere to prescribed limits for Base Station Antennae for general public exposure.
The study measured cumulative emissions within the 800 to 2000MHZ band of frequency (which includes both GSM and CDMA technologies) across in the nation’s capital using calibrated equipment, as per the Dot prescribed procedure in line with the ICNIRP specifications.. The basic restrictions/proper limits for power density specified in ICNIRP guidelines for safe frequencies between 400 to 2000 MHz are as follows:
| Type of Exposure | 900MHz(inW/m2) | 1800MHz (in W/m2) |
| Occupational | 22.5 | 45 |
| General Public | 4.5 | 9 |
?According to Prof. P.R.Goundan, Joint Director Centre of Excellence in Wireless Technology, Chennai,it is one of the first studies carried out in the Indian environment to assess the level of emissions from the Mobile Towers. They are happy to note that the cumulative emissions are well below the prescribed limits and that service providers in India are in compliance with set safety norms.
The study was commissioned in tandem by COAI and AUSPI as a response to growing public concern over myths associated with the emissions from the cellular mobile towers and its alleged health effects on the human body.
War triggers between GSM and CDMA operators in India over 11-digit No.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: DOT’s decision to implement 11-digit numbers by January next year has triggered a war between the GSM and CDMA mobile operators putting consumer interests at stake. As per the plan, all the mobile operators will add extra 9 to all mobile numbers in the country by January 1, 2010.
AUSPI representing the interests of CDMA operators like Tatas, Reliance and Sistema, is in favour of moving to an 11-digit numbering plan while GSM operators are vehemently opposing the move. COAI which is representing GSM operators made a detailed presentation to the government claiming this move to be harmful for the industry and consumers.
According to COAI, there is hardly any growth in the number of fixed line subscribers which currently rest at 40 million. Hence, there is no need to reserve levels 2, 3, 4,5,6,7, and 8 for fixed line. It is estimated that with the three series, 7, 8 and 9, a billion plus subscribers can be served without any need for fresh allocation of levels.
On the other hand, AUSPI feels that new opportunities can come up with the implementation of an 11-digit numbering plan and will help the subscribers to migrate from the incumbent operators networks. Besides, it has also claimed that 11-digit numbers are mobile number portability compatible.
With so many contradictory views, uncertainty has been raised on the implementation of the plan by Department of Telecommunication.
GSM ARPUs decline 14% in two years
NEW DELHI, SEPT 5: The cellular industry’s average revenues per user (ARPUs) continue to fall as the average GSM ARPU fell 8.9% to Rs 347, in June, 2006 from Rs 381 (in June, last year).The ARPU decline was despite a 49% rise in revenue of cell cos in Apr-June quarter over the same period last year.
Compared with 2004, the average GSM ARPU fell from Rs 404 (in September, 2004) to Rs 347 in June, this year, a decline of 14%.
Revenues, however, continued to rise. The revenues of private GSM mobile operators jumped to Rs 5,621 crore in April-June quarter, this year from Rs 3,760 crore in the same quarter, last year.
On a sequential basis, the adjusted gross revenue increased from Rs 4,942 crore in Q1 06 to Rs 5,621 crore in the Q2 2006-07, a sequential rise of 15%. At the end of July 2006, India’s mobile subscriber base was 111.23 million. Of this 78 million were GSM users.
“The continuous decline in ARPU is a strong evidence of the ever improving affordability of the GSM Mobile service,” said TV Ramachandran, director general COAI.
CDMA operators however disagree.
“Our ARPUs are much lower than GSM. The CDMA operators were the first to slash prices and bring mobile communication to common man,” says AUSPI’s secretary general SC Khanna.
AUSPI doesn’t record CDMA ARPUs on a regular basis, though Trai had pegged the CDMA ARPU at Rs 244, in January, this year.
Trai said CDMA postpaid ARPU were Rs 444, which were 2.3 times that of CDMA prepaid ARPU of Rs 194 for the quarter ending Sept-05.
The GSM postpaid ARPU (average revenue per user) at Rs 646 p.m was also 2.3 times that of GSM prepaid ARPU of Rs 284 p.m in the same quarter last year.
Source- http://www.financialexpress.com
Technorati : Cellular, GSM, India, Mobile
Ice Rocket : Cellular, GSM, India, Mobile
