With 5G comes the promise of much faster broadband - but concerns have been raised about 5G safety. So, is 5G dangerous to our health?
People have a right to be concerned about anything new. After all, there's been plenty of instances in the past where a new product or technology has been said to be safe and unleashed, only to be subsequently proved otherwise.
The concerns about 5G are similar to technologies before it - e.g. 4G, 3G and even just plain old GSM; none of which (to date) have been found to cause health issues in terms of the various technologies themselves as used in general practice.
While 5G operates on a much higher frequency wavelength than those before it, it's still well under what's considered to be ionising radiation - that is, radiation with the ability to damage atoms that can then lead to tissue damage.
Ultraviolet (UV) light is the weakest ionising radiation known - it apparently has a frequency of around 30 million gigahertz. Over-exposure to sunlight can cause skin cancer as we all know. But 5G operates on two bands: one under 6 gigahertz, plus another above 24 gigahertz. So, even at the top end it is a much lower frequency than UV light and therefore much lower than the ionising radiation threshold.
Is the science settled on 5G? Perhaps not - it depends on who you ask. Something not helping clarity on the topic for those with concerns about 5G is when they are pointed to misinformation, or presented with cherry-picked data from studies along with commentary that distorts their conclusions.
We have a vested interest in 5G as Lightning Broadband has already started rolling it out for our broadband services because of the benefits 5G fixed wireless will bring. But we certainly don't claim to be experts on 5G when it comes to health; after all, we're just broadband geeks - not scientists.
Researching 5G Safety - A Place To Start
So, let's get you on the right track for exploring this topic more by pointing you to someone who is a scientist - Dr. Karl Kruszelnicki. While this may not be Dr. Karl's area of specialty, he recently put some time into clarifying some facts from some of the misinformation.
His article on the ABC is well worth reading as a starting point for any research on 5G and health as it's very easy to understand. But as mentioned, Dr. Karl is by no means the world's foremost authority on the topic. No doubt there are counter-arguments concerning what he says, and this is where things can get very confusing.
While the jury may still be out for some on 5G safety (and 4G, 3G etc.); in terms of mobile telecommunications generally and the fixed wireless broadband services we provide specifically, something to also consider is the power behind both - and how it's directed. Tower output has also raised concerns in relation to human health and impact on the wider environment.
While current mobile phone towers broadcast at ~100 Watts, our fixed wireless broadcasts at a maximum of 0.5 Watts (1/200th of a mobile phone tower) and is directional, as opposed to mobile phone towers that are omnidirectional.
