Massive assessment of exposure to 5G electromagnetic fields in France: a 5-year synthesis

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a large-scale measurement campaign to assess the impact of 5G deployment on exposure levels in mainland France. The campaign consists of more than 24,000 measurements taken on the ground in direct view of 5G antennas between 2020 and 2024, subdivided into seven phases, in order to closely monitor changes in exposure. The measurements consist of accredited measurements following the ANFR protocol and exploratory measurements designed to emulate steerable-beam loading in the 3.5 GHz band. The paper also introduces a metric quantifying the rate of 5G usage. Results show that, at 5G 3500 MHz sites, the broadband exposure level increased by 0.12 V/m on average over the 5-year period, while the 3500 MHz band contribution increased by 0.34 V/m on average, reflecting the progressive adoption of 5G. Despite this increase, the 3500 MHz band remained a secondary contributor, accounting for only 10% of the main contributors in 2024, far behind historical 800/900 MHz bands. Exploratory measurements reveal that exposure during a 1 GB download is, on average, four times higher than in idle mode, with a median 5G 3500 MHz usage rate of 17% and a mean of 26%. In the other 5G bands, exposure increased more moderately: +0.15 V/m in the 2100 MHz band and +0.14 V/m in the 700 MHz band, where pre-existing 4G signals already dominated. This unique long-term dataset provides the most extensive 5G exposure assessment published to date under real deployment conditions, quantifying the gradual contribution of 5G to overall exposure.