Assessment of mobile WiMAX exposure in an urban environment

INTRODUCTION There is a priority in the research agenda of WHO to assess the typical range of exposures from emerging wireless network technologies such as WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access), HSPA (High Speed Packet Access), and LTE (Long Term Evolution) for common locations (outside public areas, within buildings, homes, etc.) [1]. In this paper a methodology to determine in-situ electromagnetic-field exposure of the general public to Mobile WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e [2]) will be presented. Narrowband measurements with spectrum analyser (SA) and measurement probe are performed in an urban environment in Amsterdam (the Netherlands). Optimal settings for the measurement equipment (sweep time, resolution bandwidth, etc.) are investigated and selected. Exposure contributions due to different radio-frequency (RF) sources are compared with mobile WiMAX exposure.