A Comparison of RF Exposure in Macro- and Femtocells

This paper assesses radiofrequency exposure of a mobile handset user in the context of a new class of cellular base station: the femtocell. Traditional cellular network construction relies on using a single base station to cover a large area and serve dozens to hundreds of users. The femtocell (named after the minuscule size of the coverage area) provides a low power, in-home cellular connection for the mobile handset. Consequently, the authors expect it to behave differently from a macrocell in terms of the user's radiofrequency energy exposure. This work focuses on the trade-off in power that is incident on the mobile handset user when the handset is connected to either a macrocell or femtocell. Contrary to many individuals' initial feeling that putting a base station in your home would increase exposure, these findings indicate that having a femtocell in the home will often reduce the mobile handset user's exposure to radiofrequency energy.