Distributed RF immunity hardening design approach for telecommunication hardware and installation sites

Telecommunication installations should have sufficient intrinsic immunity to radio frequency (RF) conducted voltages and radiated electromagnetic field intensity levels to enable them to operate as intended. Design requirements for telecommunication devices traditionally are based on conducted voltages of co-located and field intensity levels of licensed wireless devices. This paper addresses the necessity for design requirements that address clandestinely operated interference sources intended to sabotage and disrupt telecommunication systems. When selecting electromagnetic severity levels, the technical and economic circumstances should also be taken into account so that cost of producing telecommunication devices will not be exorbitantly high. However, RF voltage and field intensity levels that can be produced easily with commercially available devices should not be ignored. This paper describes a distributed RF immunity hardening design approach that can be economically and quickly implemented. Device immunity requirements, installation site shielding requirements, and sensing elements outside the installation sites are discussed.