KUCHING: The Malaysian Nuclear Agency (MNA) will assist Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) to supervise and monitor the use of Radio Frequency (RF) on all telecommunication towers in Sarawak to ensure that it is safe for the people.
At the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) yesterday, MNA aims to work with SMA in educating the public on safety issues related to radio frequency and to ensure that they receive the right information.
MNA director-general Dr Mohd Abd Wahab Yusof said that radio frequency falls under non-ionising radiation category, which is not the same as radioactive and is not hazardous.
“Over more than 10 years of research worldwide, there are no conclusive evidence to say that RF causes cancer or it is dangerous to the human body,” he said in a press conference after the signing of MoU with SMA which was witnessed by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg at Wisma Bapa Malaysia here, yesterday.
Therefore, on the MoU, he said MNA would supervise and measure the radiation level at all the telco towers, and from there a certificate will be issued to tell whether it is safe or not.
“On the certificate, there will be a QR code where the public can scan, and read the RF reading of the tower from their smartphones,” he stressed.
He added that the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has set a limit that the frequency cannot be above 1,000 micro watt per square centimetre, and none of the towers in Malaysia have exceeded that limit.
MNA’s cooperation with Sarawak government is the second after its first with Melaka government.
Meanwhile, SMA general manager Dr Zaidi Razak said that the cooperation involves the people’s wellbeing, as to give the people the correct information so that the telecommunication industry in Sarawak can run smoothly.
“There are currently 2,600 telco towers in Sarawak which is under SMA’s supervision.
“And we are looking into developing a policy that it is a compulsory that all these telco towers have the certification and ensure it follows the limit set by MCMC,” he pointed out.
