The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) of Thailand has published the NBTC Announcement related to the draft standards of radiation exposure safety for radiocommunication equipment. This NBTC Announcement concerns human health safety standards for exposure to electromagnetic fields. The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) is an international body that sets Guidelines on Limiting Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields, which have been continuously reviewed and updated.
Because direct electromagnetic radiation is a hazard, NBTC intends to revise its radiation exposure safety standards to align with the latest internationally recognized version, ICNIRP 2020. Therefore, the feedback to the draft standards can be submitted during its public hearing from 15 July 2026 until 14 September 2026. In this article we will discuss all important notes from this NBTC Announcement for draft of radiation exposure safety standards for radiocommunication equipment in Thailand.
Key Notes of Draft Radiation Exposure Safety Standards
This draft standard follows up on the 34th/2025 NBTC meeting held on 12 and 14 November 2025, which approved the revisions to the draft NBTC Notification on Human Health Safety Standards. Following are several important notes from the issuance of this new draft standard for radiation exposure safety of radiocommunication equipment:
- Adjust the radio frequency range from 9 kHz – 300 GHz to 8.3 kHz – 300 GHz to align with the initial frequencies established in the Spectrum Management Master Plan, B.E. 2567 (2024).
- Revise the term “recipient of electromagnetic waves from radiocommunication equipment” become “human exposed to electromagnetic waves from radiocommunication equipment” to align with terminology in the ICNIRP 2020 standard.
- Add definition for “incident electric field strength”, “incident magnetic field strength”, “absorbed power density” and “magnetic flux density” to align with the ICNIRP 2020 standard.
- Add electromagnetic exposure limits for frequency range 8.3 kHz – <100 kHz to align with the current ICNIRP 2010 standard.
- Add exposure limits for electromagnetic waves and electric fields from multiple simultaneous sources within frequency range 8.3 kHz – <100 kHz, in accordance with the ICNIRP 2010 standard.
- Add whole-body and localized exposure limits for electromagnetic waves and electric fields from multiple simultaneous sources within frequency range 100 kHz – <300 GHz, in accordance with the ICNIRP 2020 standard.
- Specify the usage conditions to align with the current ICNIRP 2020 standard, ensuring a clear understanding of the detailed assessment process.
- Add whole-body electromagnetic exposure limits and adjusted the tables to align with the ICNIRP 2020 standard.
- Remove standard IEC 62209-1, IEEE Std 1528 (2003), as it has been superseded by standard IEC 62209-1528.
- Add standard IEC 62209-1528, as standard IEC 62209-1528:2020 consolidates standards IEC 62209-1 and IEC 62209-2.
- Remove standard EN 50361 (2001), as it has been superseded by IEC 62209-1:2006.
- Adopt the IEC/IEEE 63195-1 (2022), as it supports high-frequency technologies in the 5G/6G era by providing systematic guidelines for measuring power density that align with ICNIRP 2020 and other international standards.
Impact on Thailand Type Approval
Implementation of this draft standard for radiation exposure safety ensures that radiocommunication equipment marketed in Thailand meets exposure limits to electromagnetic fields set by NBTC. This is important to protect humans from the harmful effects of non-ionizing radiation, such as electromagnetic fields, radio frequency waves and cellular signals.
NBTC invites relevant parties, manufacturers and the general public to participate in this public hearing. The comments can be submitted to the Telecommunications Technology and Standards Division from 15 July 2026 to 14 September 2026, via an email to phannipong.t@nbtc.go.th or in person to NBTC Office (Telecommunications Technology and Standards Division), Building 3, 2nd Floor, Phahonyothin 87 Road, Soi 8 (Sailom), Samsen Nai Subdistrict, Phaya Thai District, Bangkok 10400. You may download the copy of the NBTC Announcement of draft radiation exposure safety standards on the file below.
Conclusion
The release of the draft standards for radiation exposure safety of radiocommunication equipment marks a commitment from the NBTC to ensure that radiocommunication equipment marketed and used in Thailand is safe and meets the standards set by the NBTC. However, changes to this draft standard also need to be mitigated by manufacturers and importers of radiocommunication equipment in Thailand, especially when processing Type Approval in Thailand. Therefore, doing early mitigation for adjustment and preparation to upcoming new technical standards may be required. Feel free to send an email to info@narmadi.com if you have any questions related to this draft standard.
