04 October 2024

Egypt has strengthened the quality of electromagnetic radiation monitoring of its telecom towers via a memorandum of understanding between the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) and the National Telecommunications Institute (NTI), which now includes the search for digital measurement solutions to promote automated and regular monitoring.

Through the agreement, which highlights health and environmental concerns, the two organizations will ensure that electromagnetic radiation levels do not exceed the globally permitted limits, in accordance with the conditions set out in the protocol signed by the Egyptian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), the Ministry of Health and Population and the Ministry of Environment.

For frequencies from 2-300 GHz, the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) recommends, among others, the following electromagnetic radiation limits for consumer equipment: 61 volts per meter for the electric field; 10 watts per square meter of power density in continuous exposure.

With the acceleration of digitalization, the growing demand for broadband, the interest in 5G, telecom operators are increasing their investment in strengthening their networks. The density of telecom towers is increasing in the immediate environment of populations.

ICNIRP data, endorsed by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in its recommendation ITU-T K.91, indicate that exposure beyond the stated limits of electromagnetic radiation can result in increased internal body heat and possible health problems.