Amendments to Electromagnetic Energy Standards for Human Exposure

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is proposing to amend the Radiocommunications (Electromagnetic Radiation—Human Exposure) Standard 2014 (the ACMA Standard).

The ACMA regulates human exposure to radio frequency (RF) EME emissions from consumer equipment (such as mobile telephone handsets) and radiocommunications facilities (such as mobile telephone base stations) through:

  • regulatory arrangements/requirements for mobile and portable transmitters at the point of supply to the Australian market, including testing, labelling and record-keeping obligations
  • licence conditions on the operation of radiocommunications transmitters

The objective of this is to ensure that public exposure to EME from radio transmitters does not exceed the Australian exposure limits published by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA).

Currently, manufacturers incorporating RF transmitters operating between 3 - 6 GHz do not have an applicable Australian mandated test method standard to demonstrate compliance with EME exposure limits.

Since the ACMA Standard was made, the EN 62209-1 and IEC 62209-1 standards have been updated to increase the applicable frequency range to 300 MHz to 6 GHz (previously 300 MHz to 3 GHz).

Therefore, the ACMA is proposing the following amendments to the ACMA standard:

  • EN 62209-1: Measurement procedure for the assessment of specific absorption rate of human exposure to radio frequency fields from hand-held and body-mounted wireless communication devices—Part 1: Devices used next to the ear (frequency range of 300 MHz to 6 GHz)
  • IEC 62209-1: Measurement procedure for the assessment of specific absorption rate of human exposure to radio frequency fields from hand-held and body-mounted wireless communication devices—Part 1: Devices used next to the ear (frequency range of 300 MHz to 6 GHz)

The purpose of the amendment is to ensure the following:

  • Equipment operating on frequencies of up to 6 GHz (such as Wi-Fi routers and first generation 5G equipment), is tested according to the latest international measurement standards
  • Compliance with the labelling requirements of Australia’s electromagnetic energy (EME) standards

The proposed amendments, set forth on August 14, 2019, will ensure that the latest international test methodologies are adopted, and prevents any confusion regarding requirements such as device labelling.

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