Spatial and Temporal Characterization of RF-EMF Exposure from Mobile Base Stations in Urban Tirana: A Multi-Band Field Measurement Study

Abstract

This study presents a spatial and temporal characterization of radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) exposure across six frequency bands (LTE 800, 900 MHz mobile band, LTE 1800, 2100 MHz mobile band, LTE 2600, and 5G NR 3600 MHz) at two central urban squares in Tirana, Albania: Karl Topia (KT, N = 86) and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (MKA, N = 85). Each of 171 georeferenced points was surveyed in one 360 s daytime session (80 weekdays; 91 weekends; April–May 2026) using a NARDA SRM-3006 selective analyzer. A reproducible Python/GIS workflow combined band-wise root-sum-square aggregation, LOOCV-guided inverse-distance weighting, percentile hotspot sensitivity, temporal comparison, and multi-frequency compliance assessment. LTE 800 had the highest mean exposure (1.37–1.55 V/m). Pooled unadjusted weekday values exceeded weekend values in all bands; after adjustment for site and diurnal window with campaign-day-clustered standard errors, evidence remained for the 900 MHz, 2100 MHz, LTE 2600, and 5G NR 3600 bands, while spatial confounding could not be eliminated. The 5G NR 3600 Emax/Eact ratio was 6.8×, consistent with burst-like transmission but insufficient alone to confirm TDD behavior. All values were below ICNIRP 2020 reference levels (QTh = 0.0269). The results constitute site-specific initial reference data for the two surveyed squares rather than a national baseline; the workflow is transferable to comparable multi-band monitoring campaigns.