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

Handsets will be required to operate on frequencies above 6 GHz with the rollout of 5G deployments in the mmWave bands. International standards on assessment methods for devices operating above 6 GHz that are used close to the head or body are not available yet.

Therefore, the current Radiocommunications (Electromagnetic Radiation – Human Exposure) Standard 2014 (the ACMA Standard) needs to be amended to establish appropriate supply requirements for devices operating above 6GHz.

The ACMA Standard adopts the EME exposure limits specified by ARPANSA in the Radiation Protection Standard for Maximum Exposure Levels to Radiofrequency Fields ─ 3 kHz to 300 GHz (the ARPANSA Standard) and currently mandates the following Australia/New Zealand and international test method standards:

• For devices used in close proximity to the human ear: EN 62209-1 and IEC 62209-1—Human exposure to radio frequency fields from hand-held and body-mounted wireless communication devices. Human models, instrumentation and procedures. Part 1—Procedure to determine the SAR for hand-held devices used in close proximity to the ear (frequency range of 300 MHz to 6 GHz).
• For devices used 20 cm or less from the human body: EN 62209-2 and IEC 62209-2—Human exposure to radio frequency fields from hand-held and body-mounted wireless communication devices. Human models, instrumentation and procedures. Part 2—Procedure to determine the SAR for wireless communication devices used in close proximity to the human body (frequency range of 30 MHz to 6 GHz).
• For devices used more than 20 cm from the human body: AS/NZS 2772.2—Radiofrequency fields: Principles and methods of measurement and computation—3 kHz to 300 GHz.

For devices operating above 6GHz, the ACMA considers incorporating the IEC TR 63170 technical report into the ACMA Standard until an international standard can be similarly incorporated:

• IEC TR 63170:2018 – Measurement procedure for the evaluation of power density related to human exposure to radio frequency fields from wireless communication devices operating between 6 GHz and 100 GHz.

The ACMA is seeking comments due by March 12, 2020.