Abstract

Overview

The installation of base station (BS) sites is regulated by a variety of laws at international, national, and local levels. This abstract presents key findings regarding how these EMF limits shape cellular network planning and quality of service (QoS) from a user equipment (UE) perspective.

Findings

• Initial assessments evaluate the impact of non-optimal network planning on QoS from the perspective of outdoor urban areas.
• Both quantitative and qualitative assessments reveal that stringent EMF limits cause significant challenges in cellular network planning, exemplified by non-line-of-sight conditions, large distances from the serving BS, and consequently poor signal reception.
• An important outcome of the restrictive EMF settings is the higher electric field activity (EFA) prompted by the user equipment due to poor coverage, which in turn affects the perceived QoS negatively.

Conclusion

A hypothetical relaxation of the stringent EMF limits was analyzed, suggesting such a change could improve UE coverage, reduce the high EFA levels, and enhance the overall perceived QoS.