Mobile phones and health

The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) sets the EME safety standard for mobile phones. It is the role of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), the Federal Government regulator for the telecommunications industry, to regulate communications equipment and devices that emit EME.

The ACMA created the Radiocommunications Equipment (General) Rules 2021, which requires all mobile phones sold in Australia to comply with the EME safety standard. 

The EME safety standard operates by limiting the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR), or the rate at which the mobile phone user absorbs energy from the handset. The SAR is measured in watts per kilogram (W/Kg), and in Australia the maximum SAR allowable for any mobile phone is 2 watts per kilogram (averaged over 10 grams).

All mobile phones and devices sold in Australia must display the ACMA's compliance label known as the Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM). This mark confirms that your mobile phone or device complies with the EME safety standard. 

You should make sure, when buying a new mobile phone or device, that it has the RCM. It is usually found behind the battery or on the box or packaging of your mobile phone or device (or electronically in device settings).

From October 2001, mobile phone manufacturers began providing SAR values and SAR information with all new release mobile phone models. This followed the development of a methodology to test mobile phones for their SAR level, introduced by the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation (CENELEC), which allows for consistent reporting of SAR values worldwide. 

We support the mobile phone manufacturer's initiative to provide information on mobile phone exposure levels.

The maximum stated SAR level of a mobile phone is a maximum. This level does not represent an accurate indication of every day exposure because operational power levels vary considerably during normal use.

The variations in the maximum SAR measurements between the different models of mobile phones should not be seen as a measure of differences in safety. Although mobile phones sold in Australia may vary slightly in their measured exposure levels at maximum power output, they are regarded as equally safe because they all comply with the EME safety standard.

For additional information please visit the AMTA SAR information page.

There are many ways to find SAR information for mobile phones. We have listed some easy tips below.

• Check the phone handbook or user manual - look under safety or specifications.
• Search the manufacturer's web site for your phone model and SAR - it is usually listed under safety, or product specifications.
• Check the Mobile Manufacturers Forum web site.
• Use a web search engine like Google to search for your phone model and SAR.
• Contact the manufacturer and ask for the SAR information.
• Check the Telstra.com web site – look under the specifications tab for your mobile device.
• Email us at: eme.enquiries@team.telstra.com

While the maximum SAR values provide an indication of the highest power level that a mobile phone is capable of, mobile phones are designed to operate at the minimum power necessary to connect and maintain a quality call, and so they regularly operate at levels well below the maximum SAR. 

In fact, both mobile phones and mobile base stations are designed to operate at the lowest possible power. The minimum power level required depends on a variety of factors, such as, the specific network, the user's proximity to base stations and the radio frequency band being used.

Once a call has been established, the base station and the mobile handset reduce their power automatically to the lowest level required to maintain a signal connection. This is referred to as adaptive power control.

One of the key factors affecting the operating power of a mobile phone is the user's distance to the nearest network base station. A mobile phone that is close to a base station will usually require less power to operate than the same mobile phone that is transmitting a call from further away.

If base stations are placed closer to users, the power levels required for communications usually decreases, and so too does the EME from base stations and mobile phones. This is why the location of a base station relative to the mobile phone users is important.