IEC TR 62669:2019

Overview

IEC TR 62669:2019 (Edition 2) is a Technical Report from the IEC that provides practical case studies supporting IEC 62232:2017 - the standard for determining RF field strength, power density and SAR in the vicinity of radiocommunication base stations for evaluating human exposure. This edition (2019) replaces the 2011 first edition and focuses on real-world examples for base stations (BS) transmitting across 110 MHz to 100 GHz, while also considering ambient contributions in the 100 kHz to 300 GHz range. The report is guidance-only and complements - but does not replace - a full understanding of IEC 62232.

Key topics and requirements

• Case studies illustrating typical BS evaluation scenarios: indoor/outdoor small cells, street cells, macro sites, drones, mmWave small cells, massive MIMO (mMIMO) and parabolic dish links.
• Measurement and modelling methods consistent with IEC 62232:2017: in-situ measurements, SAR measurement techniques, spatial averaging of power density, and modelling studies.
• Actual maximum transmitted power / EIRP approach: rationale and guidance for collecting and analysing transmitted power/EIRP data, and using modelling or measurement to evaluate maximum RF exposure on operational sites, sub-networks or field trials.
• mMIMO and massive MIMO: modelling and measurement guidance for beamforming systems and the implications for exposure assessment.
• Multi-transmitter configurations: principles and power-combination factors for multiple simultaneous transmitters.
• Emerging techniques: use of drones for macro site surveys, mmWave assessments, validation studies and lessons learned to inform future revisions of IEC 62232.

Practical applications

• Provides worked examples and lessons learned for assessing human exposure near wireless communication base stations.
• Supports compliance demonstration for wireless communication devices, network deployments and product certification where RF field strength, power density or SAR limits must be evaluated.
• Useful for planning and validating measurements during network rollouts, consumer trials, sub-network evaluations and field tests, including early 5G and mmWave products.

Who should use this standard

• RF and compliance engineers performing exposure assessments
• Test laboratories and certification bodies
• Mobile network operators and site planners
• Regulatory agencies and public health authorities
• Product designers working on small cells, gNodeBs, mmWave equipment and antenna systems

Related standards

• IEC 62232:2017 - primary methodology for RF exposure assessment of base stations (this TR provides case-study guidance)
• National regulations and exposure limits adopting ICNIRP/IEEE guidance (useful context when applying IEC TR 62669)

Keywords: Human Exposure, RF field strength, power density, SAR, base stations, IEC 62232, EIRP, mMIMO, massive MIMO, mmWave, in-situ measurements.