Technology around the world is evolving at a rapid pace, especially with smart devices. Smartphones, on the other hand, are becoming more smarter and powerful. Undoubtedly, the upcoming 5G wireless technology will help these smart devices to work in more potential than today.
Advanced wireless technologies in telecom 4G and 5G are sometimes making headlines due to health concerns. The wireless devices are transmitting and receiving the signal in waves. The telecom operators are using different radio wave frequencies to provide stable and reachable signals. The radio wave frequencies are also called a spectrum.
Type of Radiations
If you don’t know, extremely high-frequency waves like X-rays, ultraviolet rays are harmful to human health and may cause diseases like cancer. Basically, electromagnetic spectrums are of two types ionizing and non-ionizing radiation.
Ionizing radiation can penetrate the human body, and the radiation energy can be absorbed in tissue. This has the potential to cause harmful effects to people, especially at high levels of exposure like X-rays, ultraviolet rays.
Non-ionizing radiation exists all around us from many sources. Like infrared, microwave, radio waves (2G,3G,4G,5G), cell phone range radiation, visible lights, etc. Non-ionizing radiation can heat substances. For example, the microwave radiation inside a microwave oven heats water and food rapidly.
We are exposed to low levels of non-ionizing radiation every day. Exposure to intense, direct amounts of non-ionizing radiation may result in damage to tissue due to heat. This is not common and mainly of concern in the workplace for those who work on large sources of non-ionizing radiation devices and instruments.
In short, non-ionizing radiation is not causing severe health issue, especially with 5G. Radiation is not equal to radioactive. 5G does generate radiation, but at very safe levels, and none of it is radioactive radiation. It also does not weaken the immune system and thus has not contributed to the spread of COVID-19.
What WHO and Others said
In NaturePortfolio article, Wood’s says – “The power levels involved in mobile and wireless telecommunications are incredibly low, which, at most, produce temperature rises in the tissue of a few tenths of a degree.”
World Health Organization (WHO) said – “To date, and after much research performed, no adverse health effect has been causally linked with exposure to wireless technologies. The overall exposure remains below international guidelines, no consequences for public health are anticipated.”
Some 5G Capabilities
5G will use a sub 6GHz spectrum for better coverage and bandwidth. Furthermore, operators will provide a high-frequency spectrum (mmWave – Millimeter waves) 5G network for high bandwidth and faster connections.
5G needs spectrum across low, mid and high spectrum bands to deliver widespread coverage and support a wide range of use cases.
- Increased low-band (i.e. <1 GHz) capacity will be required to create greater equality between urban and rural broadband connectivity.
- Mid-bands typically offer a good mixture of coverage and capacity for 5G services. (eg. 3.5 GHz, 4.8 GHz, 6 GHz and 10 GHz)
- High-bands is needed for 5G services for ultra-high-speed mobile broadband. 5G will not be able to deliver the fastest data speeds without these mmWave bands. (e.g. 26 GHz and 40 GHz, > 100 GHz)
Compare to the 4G network, 5G will provide massive bandwidth and low latency. We suppose to get approx. 100 Mbps in the sub 6 GHz band and over 1 Gbps in mmWave bands. The frequency in 5G can go up to 300 GHz.
Internet of things (IoT) devices, connected devices will leverage the power of 5G. All type of communications will reach on next level due to low latency and high bandwidth.
Non Harmful Radiation is Everywhere
All mobile network radios are using non-ionizing radiation wave, and 5G is one of them. Since 5G is a new technology, there is no adequate researches are available to support critical health issues. Moreover, the visible light from the sun, LED bulb, Television, etc are part of the electromagnetic spectrum working between 400 – 790 terahertz (4,00,000 – 7,90,000 GHz). And visible light comes in non-ionizing radiation.
Additionally, our Wi-Fi home router also works the same as a mobile network radio. Similarly, the Wi-Fi router transmits the signal in 2.4 GHz, 5GHz, and the latest 6 GHz. Although, the power of a signal frequency is very low and limited to a certain range.
No relations with COVID-19
I believe that the health problems related to 5G are said to be exaggerated. Recently, various news is spreading that the 5G radiation is causing Covid-19 disease. Which is a pointless claim.
Covid-19 disease caused by a SARS-CoV-2 virus, not from radiation. many articles are also floating around suggesting that the 5G radiation making the air poisonous. Which help coronavirus spread. I recommend you stay away from this type of fake knowledge. Even if something happens due to 5G, covid-19 has nothing to do with it.