GSMA Response to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Request for Information on Electromagne…

GSMA Response to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Request for Information on Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs), Radiofrequency (RF) Radiation, and Wireless Radiation Exposure, Federal Register, 21 September 2026

The GSMA welcomes the opportunity to provide information in response to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Request for Information (RFI) on Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs), Radiofrequency (RF) Radiation, and Wireless Radiation Exposure published in the Federal Register, 21 September 2026.

We note that the US Federal RF exposure limits mandated by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) and confirmed in 2019 provide a similar level of health protection to the international RF-EMF exposure limits. We make this point because as an international organization we will largely bring the perspectives of the non-US scientific community.

Our response to the questions in the RFI follow.

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.

The GSMA has a long history of activity on the topic of radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) exposure and health. The GSMA has supported independent high-quality research guided by World Health Organization (WHO) research priorities; advocates for the adoption of RF-EMF exposure limits based on substantiated evidence that provide protection against established hazards of RF-EMF exposure; and encourages the availability of fact-based information for the public and other interested groups. More information our activities connected to RF-EMF is available from the GSMA website.

It is the GSMA position, based on the consensus of independent experts, that government policies for RF-EMF should be evidence-based, harmonised internationally and draw on the recommendations by expert bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Both these organisations recommend the human exposure guidelines developed by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). The ICNIRP guidelines are designed to provide protection for all people (including children) against all established health hazards.