SURVEY TO CHECK POWER LEVEL OF MOBILE TOWERS

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) alongwith Frequency Allocation Board (FAB) recently conducted an extensive survey in Pakistan and AJ&K with the help of special equipment to check the emission of power level from transmitters and receivers of Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs)/Towers installed by cellular mobile companies. The survey was conducted at Karachi, Hyderabad, Lahore, Faisalabad, Mirpur, Muzaffarabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Sibi, Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Results show that the power level of BTSs is below the prescribed danger limits and in line with the policy directives of Ministry of IT & Telecom, World Health Organization (WHO) and International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines. The impression, therefore, regarding hazardous effects on health of humans by radiation from the towers is incorrect as towers are installed and are working within the specified parameters defined by the regulator as well as the international bodies monitoring the issue. This exercise was undertaken on the directions of Chairman PTA, Dr. Mohammed Yaseen. PTA is cognizant of this issue as it directly relates to the health of general public. It would continuously monitor the emissions of radiations from towers to ensure that specific standards are met and would keep the public informed.