Changes to the Wireless Telegraphy Act to Comply with ICNIRP Guidelines on EMF Exposure

A number of our customers have contacted us about emails they have received from Ofcom with respect to the compliance of new guidelines published by the International Commission for Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).

International Commission for Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP)

Unfortunately it is not very clear in its detail, we have looked and this is our interpretation.

We believe it is proposed that radio transmitting equipment licence holders will, from May 2021, have to assess the safety of their radio transmissions.

Licence holders will have 6 months to provide the information and we expect that there will be a number of organisations that will assist with these calculations.

Ofcom have stated:

The new proposed conditions apply to wireless equipment that can transmit at power levels above 10 Watts EIRP (or 6.1 Watts ERP) and we expect them to come into place no later than 18 May 2021. Licence holders will be given a grace period of at least 6 months to comply.

For those transmitters that transmit above the level mentioned above the installation will need to be assessed to ensure compliance with the new Ofcom requirements.

Ofcom have provided a calculator (spreadsheet) to assist in calculating the Electromagnetic Field (EMF) of an installation. A copy of the proposed calculator can be found on Ofcom’s webpage: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/manage-your-licence/emf/calculator

The calculation is straight forward, you just need:

• Your transmitting frequency.
• Your transmitter power. (watts)

The calculator will then give you the safe distance.

Direct link to calculator:
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/excel_doc/0021/214455/emf-calculator-v0.1.2.xlsx

Ofcom has also published a document detailing the process and requirements:
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0025/214459/guidance-emf-compliance-enforcement.pdf

The RSGB have also created a calculator for Radio Amateurs:
https://rsgb.services/public/publications/emc/emf-calculator-v0.1.1%20.rsgb.7b2.xlsx

We will publish more on this topic as information becomes clearer in the coming weeks and months.

Some of the people that received this email from Ofcom are the operators of Handheld equipment. Handheld owners should not worry as the new guidelines target more powerful base station and mobile equipment.

Icom UK Sales - sales@icomuk.co.uk