23 January 2023
Senegal targets 5G concerns
The Telecommunications and Posts Regulatory Authority (ARTP) has signed an agreement with the Senegalese Ministry of Health to guarantee the use of communication waves without harming the health of populations.
It was during a workshop to present the results of the measurement campaign on exposure to magnetic fields from non-ionizing radiation (RNI) carried out by the regulator.
The regulator and the Ministry of Health will conduct awareness campaigns on the effects of exposure to telecom waves on the health of populations. The two partners will also carry out interventions relating to the regular quality control of the installations, to the exposure measurements near the relay antennas, if necessary, as well as to long-term epidemiological surveillance.
This initiative by the ARTP and the Ministry of Health comes during rapid development of wireless electronic communication technologies; the proliferation of base antennas for cellular networks; the installation of radioelectric stations in public places, as well as the concerns and fears of the populations vis-à-vis the installation of mobile telephone antennas. In addition, the regulator plans to launch 5G in Senegal this year.
The national campaign to measure the level of exposure of the public to the electromagnetic field for the frequency and telecommunications bands was carried out at the level of the 46 departments of the country for 12 weeks. It shows that the levels remain well below the regulatory limit values in force with a national average of 0.73V/m. In addition, there is the presence of base stations (BTS) visible in the immediate vicinity of the measurement points where the level exceeds 6V/m.
