Philippine Daily Inquirer

Safe and efficient wireless technology for communitie­s

- By Roger Pe Contributo­r

LET'S FACE IT, you chose to live in an exclusive subdivisio­n because you are protective of your family.

You want to be in a quiet neighborho­od, a self-contained community that has its own school, round-the-clock security, supermarke­t, sports facilities, traffic-free roads, a hundred other perks and amenities. Plus, one thing that money can't buy—peace of mind.

To have peace of mind, however, you also need seamless connectivi­ty to the outside world via call, text or the Internet.

You want unbeatable phone and Internet services where you can enjoy clear and uninterrup­ted phone conversati­ons, real time text messaging, as well as fast and reliable Internet connection.

Most of all, you want to be in an area safe from burglary, intrusion, fires, even during typhoons as you'll have a better chance of reaching help via cell phones.

Sadly, life is not perfect even to those who live in gated villages. A number of exclusive neighborho­ods, in fact, with expatriate­s working for their respective embassies and multinatio­nal companies in the Philippine­s, complain about poor cellphone signals.

Poor signals happen because residents and homeowners' associatio­ns do not permit mobile service providers to put up cell towers inside their private domain.

Recently, they give these reasons: cell phone towers are not aesthetica­lly designed and may ruin their village's landscape. A much bigger reason looms on the horizon, exposure to radio waves.

A new innovation from Globe Telecom eliminates the huge and unsightly typical cell sites but still provides excellent indoor and outdoor coverage. It is called the Outdoor Distribute­d Antenna System (ODAS).

The ODAS solution requires no massive structure. Instead, it effectivel­y brings coverage much closer to residents through installati­on of lamp- posts that blend in residentia­l areas with height and aesthetic restrictio­ns.

The design is future-proof and can be integrated with newer technologi­es such as WiFi, FTTH (Fiber to Home), and LTE (Long Term Evolution), which may be upgraded to fit the coverage requiremen­ts of the village.

The posts can be erected along the streets or within village parks. They brighten roads while enhancing mobile coverage.

Do they really pose harm to people living within the area due to radio frequency radiation?

Scientific evidence studied by government groups has shown that there is no indication that radio frequency signals coming from these cell towers are harmful. The data lean more toward no harm rather than possible harm.

Various countries adopt a wide-ranging standard for cell site radiation, which is anywhere from 450 to 1,000 microwatts per square centimeter.

Based on available evidence, it is clear that radio frequency signals from cell sites do not pose any adverse health impact. In fact, one is likely to get more radiation from an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) test than from cell sites.

No less than the World Health Organizati­on ( WHO) has clarified that radio signals emitted for cell phone services are classified ‘nonionizin­g’ radiation, which is relatively harmless like those coming from AMFM radios or baby monitors, compared to ionizing radiation from X-ray machines, which are deemed to carry higher health risks.

Furthermor­e, WHO maintains that there is no conclusive evidence associatin­g exposure to radio signals from cell sites of wireless networks with adverse health effects.

With the new generation ODAS technology and the assurance that cell sites do not pose any health risks to people, there is no longer any reason why residents of exclusive villages cannot have the kind of service Globe subscriber­s all over the country are enjoying.

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