A dark side of 5G wireless technology

Credit to Author: TONY M. MAGHIRANG| Date: Sat, 09 Mar 2019 18:11:07 +0000

TONY MAGHIRANG

The race to be the first 5G-enabled nation is heating up. In the US, Verizon and AT&T have gained a small lead over their competitors, having already introduced commercial 5G services in selected cities. In the Philippines, telecommunications giants PLDT and Globe are massing their resources to start offering 5G capabilities by the second half of this year. PLDT may be on a hotter streak when it unveiled a 5G cell site in Clark Freeport Zone in November 2018.

Slowly gaining traction is the superfast and lower latency access of 5G systems that will bring about the full realization of the Internet of Things (IoT), with its promise of self-driving vehicles, remote surgery, smart cities and new home internet features. Finally, maximum convenience will be at the tip of your finger.

But here’s the rub. Innovation, especially one being described as a “paradigm shift,” has its inherent challenges. In the case of mobile technology, the foremost issue is the range of potential health risks of radiation emanating from transmission towers and the attendant devices.

Greater attention to the possible harmful effects of electromagnetic radiation (EMF) has been made as early as the 2G generation but the call for pre-implementation research studies at that time fell on deaf ears. In the coming 5G era, large amounts of data will have to be transmitted across the network at a fast clip and this requires more new antennas to be installed in closer proximity to each other by the order of one tower for every seven to eight houses. This means that with 5G, people particularly those in densely populated urban areas will be at a more immediate risk of direct radiation exposure on top of those coming from 2G, 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi. It is even claimed that other mammals and insects in the surrounding environment are likely to be adversely affected too.

One of the direct ill effects being mentioned is that the heat generated by the towers may lead to skin problems. Then again, long-term constant exposure to heat radiation could potentially compromise the other sensitive organs of the body and an in-depth study prior to 5G implementation should provide a better understanding of the ramifications of this quantum jump in wireless technology.

That the potential health risks will be imminent with 5G infrastructure alarmed more than 180 scientists and doctors from 36 countries to ask for an independent task force to reassess the dangers of what they foresee as the “massive increase of involuntary exposure to electromagnetic radiation” from 5G. The appeal issued in September 2017 recommended a moratorium on the roll-out of 5G, pending the full investigation of its potential hazards to human health and the environment by independent nonindustry affiliated scientists.

At a hearing on the future of 5G wireless technology last February 7, US senator Richard Blumenthal raised concerns that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), vital government agencies responsible for safe use of cellphone technologies, have no scientific data or research on the potential health risks of 5G. Senator Blumenthal was looking for a rational and realistic assessment in place of the superficial references on the FDA web site.

In a separate development, the FCC has paved the way to intensify the adoption of 5G technology in the US. The commission voted to simplify the deployment of small cell infrastructure to fast-track the build-up in network density preparatory to 5G commercialization.

The Department of Information and Communication Technology made a similar announcement when on January 16, Acting Secretary Eliseo Rio said that the duration of securing the necessary permits to construct towers has been reduced from eight months to just seven working days in keeping with the Ease of Doing Business Act. Rio added that 50,000 more towers have to be operational not only to improve the delivery of services and coverage but also to establish the groundwork for the adoption of 5G technology in the country.

There are other issues with respect to 5G, some of them major ones but none bigger than the health concerns. There’s time to weigh the pros and cons. Let’s not recklessly believe the hype.

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