Penang should go ahead with wireless project

PETALING JAYA – PIKOM, the National ICT Association of Malaysia, is always supportive of any initiative that promotes pervasive use of information and communications technology (ICT) across the full spectrum of the community.

In the Penang case, the Association commends the State Government for successfully engineering a deal with commercial partners that will provide free broadband access to the public via the Wireless@PENANG project. On this note, PIKOM is of the opinion that Penang should go ahead with the roll-out of the Wireless@PENANG project as it will bring enormous social and economic benefits to the state and the people.

Broadband access will pave the way for rapid increase in knowledge–based social and economic activities. These translate into faster development and emergence of many new opportunities, says PIKOM Chairman David Wond Nan Fay, who is also the Group CEO of SnT Global.

“At the end of the day, all stakeholders – the state, the public and the business community – stand to benefit,” he says.

While concerns over potential health risks associated to magnetic transmission of WiFi/WiMax should be taken into considerations, Wong says they do not warrant such a drastic action as to abandon the project.

He adds that in absence of conclusive evidence of perceived public health risks pose by wireless transmissions, taking precautionary measures would be sufficient. They may include steps such as locating the transmission towers at suitable places and limiting access their immediate surroundings where the transmission is strongest.

A factsheet paper on Electromagnetic fields and public health: base stations and wireless technologies published the World Health Organisation (May 2006) summarises that: “Considering the very low exposure levels and research results collected to date, there is no convincing scientific evidence that the weak RF signals from base stations and wireless networks cause adverse health effects.”

The paper also states that surveys have shown that the radio frequency (RF) exposures from base stations range from 0.002% to 2% of the levels of international exposure guidelines, depending on a variety of factors such as the proximity to the antenna and the surrounding environment. This is lower or comparable to RF exposures from radio or television broadcast transmitters.

Further, due to their lower frequency, at similar RF exposure levels, the body absorbs up to five times more of the signal from FM radio and television than from base stations. Radio and television broadcast stations have been in operation for the past 50 or more years without any adverse health consequence being established.