It is important to understand that not all mobile tower antennas are created equal. The receiving antenna works differently than the transmitting antenna.
A transmit antenna produces radio frequency radiation that propagates through space, while a receive antenna performs the opposite process. It takes radio frequency radiation and converts it into electrical current in a circuit connected to the antenna.
Also, not all mobile antennas emit the same radio frequencies. One antenna can emit radio frequency at 800 MHz, while the other antenna can radiate at 2300 MHz or 2.3 GHz. As a general rule of thumb, the higher the radiation frequency, the higher the radiated energy. Therefore, an antenna radiating at 800 MHz will emit less energy than a 2.3 GHz antenna.
How you are exposed to radiation from cell towers also depends on how many antennas are pointing at you. Therefore, the higher the number of antennas facing your direction, the higher the radiation exposure.
India's Department of Telecommunications (DOT) has an antenna rule stating that if a mobile tower has 1 antenna, it should be installed at least 20 meters away from any home or building. The more antennas facing the same direction, the greater the distance between the base station and the house structure should be.
Another important thing to consider is how the mobile tower works. They are usually built high enough to pass over buildings and generate signals in the form of beams or pulses. Because of the way the antenna is designed, you end up with something called a shadow area.
The shaded area refers to the area directly below the base of the mobile tower, not in direct line of sight. In most cases, having a cell tower on a building's roof creates a shadowed area directly below it. Therefore, the area receives much less radiation. Therefore, the main "radiation lobe" (main beam) of the tower falls at a distance of about 50-300 meters from the base station mast at an angle of 5-10°. This area is where radiation exposure is highest.
