5G and beyond

Are community concerns over the 5G network rollout based on unfounded anxiety or valid evidence?’

Published on Daruisz Leszczynsik’s blog,Between a Rock and a Hard place, a paper by Don Maisch Phd …5th generation (5G) wireless technology, as the name indicates, is the next generation wireless communication network from 4G and 4G LTE. Once fully implemented it will predominantly operate in the millimetre (mm) radiofrequency band which will allow much higher data transfer necessary for driverless vehicles, the Internet of Things (IoT), faster video downloads as well as other applications, including military. The downside of 5G mmWave, however, is that the signals do not penetrate objects readily such as buildings and foliage, in comparison to the lower frequencies. This necessitates a far denser network of 5G small cell antennas which will be mounted on power poles, light poles, street furniture, bus shelters, etc. which in many cases will be close to homes, workplaces and public areas. In some cases internal antennas in buildings will also be used.  This will result in higher chronic radiofrequency exposures to humans in these areas. The high number of small cells needed for an effective 5G network is causing community disquiet and that, combined with many scientific unknowns about the possible biological effects of prolonged exposure to mm waves, is resulting in increasing community opposition in Australia and internationally. As community opposition is most likely going to increase as 5G infrastructure continues to be rolled out nationally, the question arises: Is this opposition to 5G warranted or not?..SNIP

New report on 5G implementation for the European Parliament mentions “unacceptable levels of human exposure to electromagnetic radiation”

This in-depth analysis was prepared by Policy Department A at the request of the ITRE Committee for the European Parliament. It compares 5G deployment in the EU with other leading economies – the USA, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. On a range of indicators, the EU compares well. However, this is not a short-term race. 5G is more complex than previous wireless technologies and should be considered as a long-term project to solve technical challenges and develop a clear business case…SNIP… One aspect, for example, that is not well understood today is the unpredictable propagation patterns that could result in unacceptable levels of human exposure to electromagnetic radiation..SNIP

The new global arms race: 5G

From the Washington Post, republished in South China Morning Post, April 4, 2019

The six ex-commanders bluntly said Chinese 5G equipment risked espionage and disruptive cyberattacks on military operations, and ‘the time for action is now’
The statement was timed to the opening of a Nato summit of foreign ministers in Washington

Excerpt

Former Pentagon leaders have joined current chiefs to warn about the risks to future US military operations posed by allies in Europe and Asia using Chinese technology in their 5G wireless telecommunications networks.

In a statement Wednesday, six former officials noted that the immense bandwidth and super-high speeds of the coming 5G systems – up to 100 times faster than current 4G platforms – will make them attractive for the US military to use to share data with allies or transfer information in combat…SNIP

New 5G Network Spurs Health Concerns

Excerpt

The popularity and widespread use of wireless technologies has spawned a telecommunications revolution with increasing public exposure to broader and higher frequencies of the electro-magnetic spectrum as we transmit data through a variety of devices. The Telecom industry is promoting the replacement of our current cellular network, 4G (fourth generation) with a new generation of shorter high frequency 5G wavelengths to power the “Internet of Things” (IoT). The IoT promises faster data processing, amazing new gadgets and a lifestyle that mirrors science fiction. However, 5G will require a massive telecommunications network with many more cell towers—resulting in wireless antennas every few feet, greater radiofrequency radiation (RFR) and increasing concerns about health.

Because this is the first generation to have cradle-to-grave lifespan exposure to this level of man-made microwave radiofrequencies, it will be years or decades before the true health consequences are known. There are still many questions about the safety of RFR in 2G, 3G and 4G wireless technologies. Informed health experts strongly recommend precaution in the roll out of 5G tech…SNIP

Mobile safety standards relaxed ahead of 5G networks

Excerpt:
From The Telegraph

By Margi Murphy, US Technology Reporter, San Francisco

9 March 2019 • 8:00pm
Safety restrictions on how much radiation phone masts are allowed to emit are to be relaxed next month, ahead of the introduction of 5G networks.

ICNIRP, the global scientific body used to set standards on radio frequency emissions from smartphones, WiFi routers and phone masts, will vote on easing its guidelines next month.

The Munich-headquartered organisation, made up of a dozen scientists, believe the existing rules can be relaxed without any health risks.

Telecoms companies have been hoping the restrictions will be relaxed to allow them to set up next-generation mobile networks, which will require more powerful signals…SNIP

5G Waves Surprise! More 5G complications (2 articles)

Excerpts:

As network operators furtively roll out 5G services, the cellular communications industry is learning about 5G on the fly, finding one unexpected challenge after another. It’s more difficult than they had anticipated, and in response they’re incurring greater startup costs than they’d originally budgeted for….SNIP…From the moment that the wireless industry decided it would make use of higher frequencies for 5G transmission, everyone has known spectrum would have some ramifications for those deployment plans. One issue, it turns out, will probably not be that big of a deal, the other somewhat more consequential, but neither is addressed very often. Both derive from what’s commonly known: the higher the frequency of a wireless signal, the less well it propagates and the less able it is to penetrate obstacles. So as a practical matter: 1) In contrast to deploying 3G and 4G, deploying 5G will require distinct indoor and outdoor strategies. 2) 5G base stations will have to be spaced more closely, necessitating more of them, especially in densely populated areas.
SNIP

Trump wants 6G internet ‘as soon as possible’

From The Verge
Yes, you read that right: 6G
By Chaim Gartenberg@cgartenberg
Excerpt:
5G may be one of the biggest internet buzzwords around, but Donald Trump is already over it. Instead, Trump has moved on to 6G. The president announced in a pair of tweets this morning that he’d like to see 6G in the United States alongside 5G “as soon as possible.”

It’s not entirely clear what spurred Trump’s sudden tweets in support of next-gen cellular communications standards. Perhaps Fox & Friends mentioned the announcement of Samsung’s new Galaxy S10 5G, and Trump was dismayed that Verizon had no live 5G network on which the device could actually function in the United States yet. Or maybe the president’s phone got AT&T’s 5G E update, reminding Trump that US carriers are relying on cheap tricks to convince customers they have faster speeds…SNIP

5G will enable ‘smart’ future warfare

Excerpt:

Apart from its tremendous commercial benefits, 5G – the fifth generation of mobile communication – is revolutionising military and security technology, which is partly why it has become a focal point in the United States’ efforts to contain China’s rise as a tech power and its allegations against Chinese companies. The future landscape of warfare and cybersecurity could be fundamentally changed by 5G. But experts say 5G is more susceptible to hacking than previous networks, at a time of rising security concerns and US-China tensions on various interconnected fronts that include trade, influence in the Asia-Pacific region and technological rivalry. These tensions provide the backdrop to controversy surrounding Huawei, the world’s largest telecoms equipment supplier. Long before the Chinese company was indicted in the US this week on multiple charges including stealing trade secrets and violating US sanctions – charges it denies – US intelligence voiced concerns that Huawei’s telecommunications equipment could contain “back doors” for Chinese espionage. Huawei has repeatedly denied these allegations, but the controversies have underlined 5G’s growing importance and stepped up the technological arms race between China and the US. To most people, the next-generation networks, which will be at least 20 times faster than the most advanced networks today, may just mean faster downloads of movies or smoother streaming. But they have much bigger potential than that…SNIP