Measurements and analysis of 5G mobile communications signals in outdoor environments

Mobile communications services are under continuous enhancement, resulting in the introduction of new transmission and reception techniques, new equipment designs and the use of new frequency bands. However, with the development of technology, and especially, with the rapid advancement of 5G services, social concern about the potential harmful effects of wireless communication networks has also increased. In order to guarantee health safety in wireless networks, human exposure to electromagnetic fields generated by radio communication systems is usually tested to check compliance with regulations. This can be done by measuring received signal strengths and comparing them with exposure limits. This paper presents an evaluation of electromagnetic exposure due to 5G mobile communications in outdoor environments. A measurement campaign was carried out in several locations of the city of Bilbao using professional equipment in order to acquire 5G signal data in different environments. Then, recorded data was processed and analyzed in order to characterize electromagnetic exposure according to the scenario and frequency band. Finally, a comparison with exposure limits and with the results derived from a previous measurement campaign carried out a year before is presented.