For all the challenges associated with deploying 5G networks - spectrum availability, planning rules, and security concerns, to name a few - few could have predicted that the spectrum of counterfeiting would be a hot topic going forward. Huawei Mobile Broadband Forum in Zurich last month.
Earlier this year, Swiss operator Sunrise launched one of the world's first 5G networks, a performance that Swisscom's rival has since echoed.
However, a bogus report was circulating in the country, raising concerns about the health effects of 5G signals on the general population.
5G protest
"We were dealing with reports that 5G was killing birds in the Netherlands," said Sunrise CEO Olaf Swantee, himself from the Netherlands. "There was not a single 5G antenna in the whole country, but this news has become important in Switzerland around the world."
Swantee has likened those who spread rumors about the effects of 5G signals to 'flat terrain' who reject the accepted and scientifically accurate fact that the world is truly round. But conspiracy theorists continue to spread myths.
The southwest of England is becoming a hotbed for such activity. In 2017, EE built permanent 4G sites in Glastonbury to support the temporary infrastructure it installs each year at the festival of the same name. Earlier this year, 5G was rolled out for the first time. All of these amenities bring benefits to the villagers.
However, a series of petitions were created to oppose the moves, claiming that 5G frequencies were harmful to residents. Speculative claims include 5G's electromagnetic characteristics that cause cancer, dementia, infertility, and autism, but none of these are supported by academic studies.
Unfortunately, Glastonbury City Council opposed the deployment of 5G in the village until more information was obtained. Nearby Frome councilors followed suit, as did their Totnes counterparts in Devon. In other parts of the country, activists make similar claims, again without providing specific evidence. Demonstrations were also held in the United States and Australia.
Repeat mistakes
The essential argument of the activists is that 5G networks use higher frequencies (such as millimeter waves) and that new networks require more access points, such as small cells. However, according to experts, all available research refutes these claims. Activists reject Public Health England (PHE) claim that 5G poses no threat to the public.
In fact, vendors even claim that since 5G uses spectrum more effectively, it can do more with the same electromagnetic radiation. In the meantime, UK operators are not using mmWave and even if they do, it will be deployed in the busiest parts of the network, away from the Somerset countryside.
The irony is that those looking to block the rollout of 5G in rural areas are among those who benefit the most from next-generation networks, which offer gigabit speeds and increased reliability.
In the UK, the government reportedly told boards that health problems were unfounded and not a legitimate reason to reject planning requests. He is also scheduled to meet with the regulator and Ofcom experts to communicate the evidence to the general public.
(Image credit: EE)
Economic gains
The situation is reminiscent of the resistance against mobile masts in the 2000s, activists opposed the construction of sites near schools or playgrounds. Others complained that the movable masts were unsightly. However, almost ten years later, the main complaints concerned signal quality, perhaps because the operators had height and location limitations.
The mood was perfectly captured by an episode of the sitcom Gavin & Stacey in 2008, in which a character (Pam, Gavin's mother) joins a protest against the construction of a telephone pole in a neighboring field. . When asked how the protesters will communicate the arrival of the construction workers, she responds "by text message."
Then, without irony, you regret the low mobile coverage in your city, which means that the recipient of the message may not receive your message: "We are the lucky ones, because Roy and Catherine only receive reception in the bathroom room! Ridiculous" .
Perhaps the most ridiculous example of this era is the fact that Orange and T-Mobile were forced to plant trees to hide mobile sites at the turn of the century. In 2015, the quality of the network suffered because no one foresaw that the growth of these trees would block the antennas.
No one suggests that research on the impact of 5G on the population should not continue and that the status quo should be maintained forever.
But the evidence simply does not exist to justify stopping the deployment. The UK was late to 4G, but is one of the leaders in the 5G team. Social and economic benefits would be lost if deployment were hampered.