The continuously increasing demands for extremely high data rate and very low latency impose to completely re-engineer the cellular network infrastructure, by adopting cell densification and millimeter-wave (mm-Wave) frequencies to a large extent. In the context of the 5th-generation mobile network (5G), the deployment of such technology will require, in general, a pervasive installation of next-generation node B base stations (gNBs), which will generate a non-negligible amount of electric and magnetic fields (EMF) over the territory. Recently, the topic of health issues triggered by the exposure from 5G gNBs has gained notable importance. Although no health effect has been scientifically proven so far from EMF exposure of gNB operating below maximum exposure limits defined by law, the population is largely concerned by the potential health effects due to the extensive exploitation in 5G of novel features, including multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), beamforming, cell densification, and mm-Waves. These features, if not properly designed and managed at a network level, have the potential to increase human exposure to EMF, and consequently, the perceived health risks from the population.

In this project, we target the health concerns of the people by facing the problem of modeling and designing the next-generation cellular network under EMF constraints. More specifically, our goal is two-fold. First, we aim at precisely modeling the EMF generated by 5G gNB implementing key features (e.g., MIMO, beamforming, and mm-Waves). This step will go beyond the models currently adopted for legacy networks (e.g., 4G ones), which are instead too conservative when considering 5G equipment. Second, the project will target the planning of the 5G cellular network over the territory, by ensuring EMF constraints in addition to coverage and capacity provisioning. More technically, the problems will be faced by applying deterministic and stochastic approaches. In this regard, we will define deterministic methods to select the gNB locations, set the configuration for each gNB, and allocate the radio resources. Furthermore, this proposal also addresses the stochastic analysis of human exposure in 5G networks, permitting accurate assessment of compliance and efficient design of cellular networks that adhere to various exposure guidelines