5G technology, or fifth-generation telecommunications technology, refers to the latest standard in mobile telecommunications. It represents the next evolution in wireless communication, succeeding 4G/LTE technology. This technology uses radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic radiation (EMR) which is the transfer of energy by radio waves.
Radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMR) is produced by both natural and artificial sources. Natural sources like the sun, the earth, and the ionosphere all emit low level RF fields. Man-made sources of RF-EMR are created by telecommunications devices and systems such as radio and television broadcasting equipment, mobile phones, wireless networks such as Wi-Fi, cordless phones, police and fire department radios, and satellite communications. Other sources of RF fields include microwave ovens, radar, industrial heaters and sealers, and various medical applications.
Carriers began actively working on preparing the release of this type of technology as early as 2015, but it wasn’t until the end of 2018 that the first 5G mobile towers came online. Verizon was the first to use the extremely high frequency (EHF), and extremely short range, millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum for their 5G service.
Today there are thousands of 5G towers across the US. To give a general idea of the proliferation of this type of technology, you can see the OOKLA 5G MAP™ which tracks the total number of 5G roll-outs in cities across the globe. Shown below is a map of the continental US.
With the deployment of millimeter waves, which are much higher frequency than the microwaves used by 3G and 4G, the telecommunications industry needed to deal with the fact that this type of wave cannot travel very far and can be blocked by fog, rain, trees and buildings, so the industry increased their expectation for the required infrastructure to a minimum of 800,000 new cell antenna sites in the US.
Each of these sites may have cell antennas from various cellphone providers, and each of these antennas may have microarrays consisting of dozens or even hundreds of little antennas.
Regardless of how people feel about the technology, it is known that millimeter wave radiation can be absorbed in the skin, the sweat glands, the peripheral nerves, the eyes, and the testes. In addition, this radiation has been proven to cause hypersensitivity and biochemical alterations in the immune and circulatory systems of some people. These waves can also harm insects and promote the growth of drug-resistant pathogens.
The deployment of 5G technology comes with various advantages and challenges. For this article we have collected lists of each as a starting point to what we hope will be an ongoing dialog on this issue that already impacts or will eventually affect each and every one of us.
Those in favor of 5G typically say some combination of the following:
- 5G is said to offer significantly faster data speeds compared to previous generations of the tech which enables quicker downloads and reduced latency.
- With a higher frequency spectrum, 5G can handle a larger number of devices simultaneously. This increased capacity is up to 100 times more than that of 4G. It allows users to switch between cellular and Wi-Fi wireless strategies that may help with better performance.
- 5G networks have lower latency, reducing the time it takes for data to travel between devices. This is crucial for those who use applications like augmented reality, virtual reality, and real-time gaming.
- The improved connectivity of 5G allows for better performance in crowded areas, such as stadiums or urban environments, where network congestion is a common issue.
Those opposed to 5G generally say one or more of the following:
- There remains a lack of clarity about precisely what technology is included in 5G.
- The main technical disadvantage of 5G is that it has limited global coverage and is available only in specific locations. Only higher-density cities can really benefit from a 5G network and remote areas may not get the coverage it for some years. Moreover, the expenses for setting up tower stations are high when compared to other types of communication networks.
- Although 5G works fast at high speed, it will not travel nearly as far as 4G. Also, tall buildings, trees and even rain may block the frequencies used by the 5G network so, it requires far more towers for coverage and carries a high risk of signal degradation.
- Let’s face it, most people admit that 5G towers are ugly when not disguised, and some will say, even uglier when they are disguised as some other object.
- Implementing 5G requires a significant investment in infrastructure, including the deployment of new cell towers and upgrading existing ones. These infrastructure costs can be a financial challenge for service providers.
- Devices need to be compatible with 5G networks to take advantage of the technology so users with older devices won’t be able to access 5G speeds.
- 5G technologies allow mobile phone users to ensure high download speeds but upload speeds, on the other hand, are quite slow (generally not over 100 Mbps).
- Cell phones which use a 5G connection will have a relatively huge battery drain and can be found to have a substantially greater amount of heat flowing through the device, both of which can reduce the lifespan of the device.
- Lack of encryption in the connection process and the expansion in bandwidth of the network makes 5G encryption more difficult and puts a greater strain on security and safety monitoring of the network.
- Cell towers create a greater risk of lightning strikes and therefore, fires. While it has long been understood that lightning is attracted to and initiated by tall objects, the change in tower density throughout the CONUS can be cause for concern. Some (lightning) flashes are likely the result of natural terminations; however, it is highly likely that others were either lightning-triggered or self-initiated upward lightning which indicates that a majority of these flashes would not have occurred at or near the tower location if the tower did not exist.
- There are also numerous reports that telecommunications regulatory authorities have a variety of unchecked and unmanaged conflicts of interest. These conflicts may be direct or indirect funding for research, payment of travel expenses, participation in conferences and meetings, presentation of research, etc. The telecommunications industry has almost complete control of the FCC, according to Captured Agency, a monograph written by journalist Norm Alster during his 2014-15 fellowship at Harvard University’s Center for Ethics. There is a revolving door between the membership of the FCC and high-level people within the telecom industry that has been going on for a couple of decades now. The industry spends about $100 million a year lobbying Congress. The CTIA, which is the major telecom lobbying group, spends $12.5 million per year on 70 lobbyists. According to one of their spokespersons, lobbyists meet roughly 500 times a year with the FCC to lobby on various issues. The industry as a whole spends $132 million a year on lobbying and provides $18 million in political contributions to members of Congress and others at the federal level.
- Although proponents of 5G are glad that it is well-suited to accommodate the growing number of devices within the scope of the Internet of Things (IoT) from “smart” homes, “smart” cities, industrial applications, advanced healthcare solutions, autonomous vehicles, and much more, many others recognize that the IoT is nothing to celebrate. This is especially pertinent when considering the even more advanced future that certain groups are aiming to create, the foundation of which is not the IoT but instead, the Internet of Bodies (IoB) which would also require this massive complex of 5G towers across our country and around the world.
- The 1996 Telecommunications Act (TCA), by its very date of implementation, is clearly outdated and does not encompass much, if any, of the technologies it was created to regulate. As the 1996 TCA is used as the predominant set of legal guidelines for the industry as well as the communities affected by the industry’s business goals, and the fact that the majority of the technical language in it is now obsolete, many individuals take the position that allowing it to remain in effect is a gross underestimation the potential destructive consequences of this technology, which borders on negligence.
- For a number of years, there has been a heated controversy between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the airline industry over whether 5G signals in the C-band spectrum should be allowed for the telecommunications industry. Many scientists have predicted near-catastrophic consequences for air travel due to potential interference between the new 5G frequencies and common aircraft instruments like radar altimeters, as the C-band spectrum is located in the 3.7–3.98 GHz range, just below the 4.2–4.4 GHz frequencies used by radar altimeters and could interfere with aircraft instruments. Despite the warning, AT&T and Verizon got the green light to switch on their equipment in January 2022.
- The iPhone 12 was pulled off shelves in France following radiation-level testing by the ANFR, the Agence Nationale des Fréquences. All phones, including iPhones, emit radio frequency electromagnetic radiation but in the ANFR’s testing on the Apple device, it registered 43 percent above the permitted maximum. In response to those test results, France no longer allows that particular iPhone to be sold within the country. No testing appears to have been completed to-date on the newer versions of these devices.
Those fully in favor of 5G technology claim that there is no evidence of adverse health effects on humans or the environment at exposure levels below the maximum levels allowed by the 1996 Telecommunications Act. Those who are pro-5G but still willing to admit to minor health implications maintain that the only substantiated adverse health effects caused by exposure to this technology are minor nerve stimulation, potential changes in the permeability of cell membranes, and some small effects due to device temperature elevation.
5G is being implemented globally without proper investigation into any real risks to human health and the environment. As long ago as 2011, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) at the World Health Organization (WHO) classified RF radiation in the frequency range of 30 kHz to 300 GHz to be a ‘possible’ human carcinogen, yet the scientific community overall has continued to wholly ignore health outcomes that involve unusual diagnoses of glioma and neurilemmoma, massive cognitive effects, fetal development and fertility (sperm quality) issues, documented effects on blood-brain barrier, questions about abnormal apoptosis (programmed cell death), increased oxidative stress and irregular gene and protein expression amongst other terrible health outcomes.
Citing this large body of research, more than 240 scientists who have published peer-reviewed research on the biologic and health effects of nonionizing electromagnetic fields (EMF) signed the International EMF Scientist Appeal, which calls for stronger exposure limits. The appeal makes the following assertions: “Numerous recent scientific publications have shown that EMF affects living organisms at levels well below most international and national guidelines. Effects include increased cancer risk, cellular stress, increase in harmful free radicals, genetic damages, structural and functional changes of the reproductive system, learning and memory deficits, neurological disorders, and negative impacts on general well-being in humans. Damage goes well beyond the human race, as there is growing evidence of harmful effects to both plant and animal life.”
The precautionary principle implies that there is a social responsibility to protect the public from exposure to harm, when scientific investigation has found a plausible risk. This seems a good standard from which to progress into the future as a civilization with regard to 5G. Regardless of the benefits, if a product or service is potentially hazardous to the general health and well-being of even a small segment of our society, it must be halted or removed, tested rigorously by unbiased individuals, and only (re)introduced when the scientific consensus has been challenged openly by all who wish to challenge it.
All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.
Arthur Schopenhauer
Authored by Alissa Desancic of Kootenai County
