Reliance Jio Infocomm has tried to allay concerns about radiation hazards by installing 4G mobile towers which are supposedly safe and environmentally friendly. According to an IIT-B report, the levels of electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure emitted by the towers were within the limit set by the DoT and international authorities.
Reliance Jio had approached IIT-B to conduct an evaluation of its cellular towers, which was overseen by the university’s professor of electrical engineering Abhay Karandikar. The resulting document was issued out on April 2013 and stated that the ground-based masts would be structurally safe in the face of disasters such as earthquakes or storms.
As per the Times of India, Karandikar asserts the system is environmentally sound as it does not require air conditioning thanks to an in-house design. The facility is a must in most mobile tower units, which consume up to 600 to 700W of power on average. He goes on to say that Reliance Jio is doing away with permanent diesel generators in favor of a battery backup.
According to the IIT-B report, each Reliance 4G tower emits only 1 spectral radiation. This apparently makes it easier to manage as the exposure from each tower can be controlled and kept within the limits set by the authorities. Furthermore, the sites have been built in areas which are sufficiently away from residential and commercial buildings to reduce radiation exposure.
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The 25m height of the towers also guarantees the antennas which have been used are at a great distance from the ground, thus ensuring minimal surface reflections. However, the study did find that the site’s electricity supply boxes were left alone without any protection, with only a warning message to ward away people.
Reliance Jio is currently getting ready to commercially launch its 4G platform in India soon. It had begun providing the high-speed service to its employees on December 27, but is yet to announce an official date for a full-scale rollout.