Exposure induced by WCDMA mobiles phones in operating networks

The objective of this study is to investigate the transmitted (Tx) power of 3G terminals during real use. Such analysis reveals the exposure induced by mobile phone devices and provides a precise idea about the margin between time averaged and maximum (standardized) exposure. For this purpose, data streams exchanged on a live network were recorded and processed to extract a histogram of received power at the handset in indoor, outdoor, rural, and urban environments. The real Tx power is found to be generally a few percents of the maximum power. Moreover, the influences of some main factors like the handset model and the usage mode are investigated. A data mode for example increases the Tx power of about 6 dB compared to a voice call.