Man is a free moral agent who has freedom of reasoning and speaking. Little wonder a lot of conspiracies have been flying around. What is 5G? Does 5G aids the spread of the virus? Does 5G pose health risks? These and many more are the questions people are asking.
5G is the fifth generation of wireless communications technologies supporting cellular data networks. Large scale adoption began in 2019 and today virtually every telecommunication service provider in the developed world is upgrading its infrastructure to offer 5G functionality. 5G communication requires the use of communications devices (mostly mobile phones) designed to support technology. 5G is a wireless mobile network that was deployed in 2019 to help improve telecommunications and mobile connectivity.
It works at a higher wave frequency than its predecessors in order to allow for this upgrade in usage.
5G is said to elevate the mobile network to not only interconnect people but also interconnect and control machines, objects, and devices. It will deliver new levels of performance and efficiency that will empower new user experiences and connect new industries. 5G will deliver multi-Gbps peak rates, ultra-low latency, massive capacity, and a more uniform user experience.
Before the advent of 5G we have other mobile network generations which are 1G (analog voice), 2G (digital voice), 3G (mobile data), 4G (mobile internet).
5G is a new kind of network, a platform for innovations that will enhance mobile broadband services, expand mobile networks to support a vast diversity of devices and services and connect new industries with improved performance, efficiency and cost. 5G will redefine a broad range of industries with connected services from retail to education, transportation to entertainment and everything in between.
Does 5G pose health risks?
Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, there were already discussions about the effects 5G could have on a person’s health, due to these higher frequencies and the type of radiation it emits.
But since the outbreak, the 5G conversation seems to have found itself linked to the disease with people claiming it could exacerbate the spread through its frequencies, or by suppressing the immune system. Others have claimed the virus is, in fact, being used to cover up dangerous effects of the mobile network.
Electromagnetic waves emit electromagnetic radiation, which at high frequencies are believed to pose a risk of causing cancer.
However, low frequencies – such as 5G frequencies – produce a non-ionizing form of radiation that is not thought to be able to penetrate and damage cells.
5G frequencies may be higher than that of 4G and other earlier networks, but they are still far lower than the limits stipulated in international guidelines.
The World Health Organisation, which has a detailed guide on the mobile network, said “no adverse health effect has been causally linked with exposure to wireless technologies”, even after “much research” was carried out.
It noted that only a few studies had been carried out on the frequencies used by 5G, but “provided that the overall exposure remains below international guidelines, no consequences for public health are anticipated.”
Is 5G connected to COVID-19?
Claims suggesting that COVID-19 serves as a cover-up for health hazards of 5G, or that the technology itself suppresses the immune system are just two of a number of theories in circulation that experts say are “baseless”.
The short answer is no.
In fact, the UK government has gone further to say there is “absolutely no credible link” between the two.
Meanwhile, Mobile UK, a trade union for British mobile providers, also commented on the “baseless” claims that it said were “not grounded in accepted scientific theory”.
“More worryingly,” it added: “Some people are also abusing our key workers and making threats to damage infrastructure under the pretense of claims about 5G.
“This is not acceptable and only impacts on our ability as an industry to maintain the resilience and operational capacity of the networks to support mass home working and critical connectivity to the emergency services, vulnerable consumers and hospitals.”
Yusuf Sambo, a researcher at the University of Glasgow who is testing 5G in Scotland, told AFP that while he could acknowledge other health fears, they had nothing to do with viruses. He said: “Yes, there are fears about the health implications of 5G but they have to do with cancer and not viral infections.”
In conclusion, experts have made it certain that there isn’t any link between 5G and the ongoing COVID19 pandemic. Also, 5G undoubtedly is lined with various disadvantages as with every other tech in the world but the advantages it poses for the present and future are undoubtedly massive.
