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Description
This study investigates radio frequency (RF) exposure from a private indoor 5G network operating in the 3.5 GHz band within a university building. Despite the increasing deployment of private 5G networks, limited research has been conducted on their RF exposure. This study aims to measure the electric field strength from both pico and micro base stations (BS) under various operational modes and power levels. Additionally, it compares indoor private 5G exposure to outdoor public base station downlink radiation and Wi-Fi signals.
The 5G private network setup included one micro and two pico base stations with adjustable power levels ranging from 10 to 35 dBm. Electric field measurements were conducted using ExpoM-RF and Narda SRM-3006 devices, with data collected in three scenarios: 5G off, idle mode, and data traffic mode. Measurements showed that in idle mode, the electric field strength was minimal, with values under 0.015 V/m for pico and 0.1 V/m for micro BS antennas. Under data traffic, values increased to 0.25 V/m and 1.43 V/m, respectively.
The study highlighted that exposure near the pico BS antenna was lower than that from outdoor base stations due to its lower power and peripheral building location, while the micro BS antenna exhibited higher exposure due to its central placement and higher power. Results demonstrated that the measured RF exposure levels remained well below ICNIRP safety limits (61 V/m), providing essential data on indoor private 5G RF exposure and its environmental impact.
