Mobile towers’ radiation poses threat hazards

An in-depth study of the impact of radiation emanating from cellphone towers on human health and environment is yet to be conducted in the country, even though the number of cellphone towers established by different operators has increased significantly in the last few years, following the expansion of mobile networks on a large scale.

GSM Brief History

Years	Events
1982	CEPT establishes a GSM group in order to develop the standards for a pan-European cellular mobile system.
1985	A list of recommendations to be generated by the group is accepted.
1986	Field tests are performed to test the different radio techniques proposed for the air interface.
1987	Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) is chosen as the access method (with Frequency Division Multiple Access [FDMA]). The initial Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is signed by telecommunication operators representing 12 countries.
1988	GSM system is validated.
1989	The responsibility of the GSM specifications is passed to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI).
1990	Phase 1 of the GSM specifications is delivered.
1991	Commercial launch of the GSM service occurs. The DCS1800 specifications are finalized.
1992	The addition of the countries that signed the GSM Memorandum of Understanding takes place. Coverage spreads to larger cities and airports.
1993	Coverage of main roads' GSM services starts outside Europe.
1994	Data transmission capabilities launched. The number of networks rises to 69 in 43 countries by the end of 1994.
1995	Phase 2 of the GSM specifications occurs. Coverage is extended to rural areas.
1996	June: 133 network in 81 countries operational.
1997	July: 200 network in 109 countries operational, around 44 million subscribers worldwide.
1999	Wireless Application Protocol came into existence and 130 countries operational with 260 million subscribers
2000	General Packet Radio Service(GPRS) came into existence.
2001	As of May 2001, over 550 million people were subscribers to mobile telecommunications

What is "GSM"?

 

GSM is a TDMA based wireless network technology developed in Europe that is used throughout most of the world. GSM phones make use of a SIM card to identify the user's account. The use of the SIM card allows GSM network users to quickly move their phone number from one GSM phone to another by simply moving the SIM card. Currently GSM networks operate on the 850MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz, and 1900MHz frequency bands. Devices that support all four bands are called quad-band, with those that support 3 or 2 bands called tri-band and dual-band, respectively. In the United States, Cingular operates on the 850 and 1900MHz bands, while T-Mobile operates only on the 1900MHz band.

Also known as: "Global System for Mobile Communications", "Groupe Special Mobile"