Much has been said about the arrival of 5G technology and its impact on the world. But how much of everything you’ve heard is real? Here we tell you more about it.

It is a reality that technological advances have brought a change in cell phone usage habits. These devices were initially call-only and text-message devices, but now they are high-performance multitasking machines and, at the same time, entertainment equipment with a lot of content, high-resolution videos, live broadcasts, and photos. This is the main motivation behind the upgrade of the entire telecommunications infrastructure.

Out of all these new needs comes 5G, which is nothing more than the 5th generation of telecommunications: a new information exchange protocol aimed at achieving hyperconnectivity with all smart systems and sensors in all things, also known as the Internet of Things (IoT). This is not much more different than 3G or 4G and, in terms of impacts, they are surprisingly similar.

Now, hand in hand with all these advances, we also find endless fears and popular legends motivated by disinformation and some resistance to change. Here we want to tell you what you should believe and not about 5G technology:

1. I am exposed to 5G because there are antennas in my city – MYTH

Even if there’s an antenna very close to you, that doesn’t mean you are exposed to 5G. The reason why this happens is that 5G technology works as a linear signal that travels directly from the antenna to the specific device capable of receiving this signal; so, if you don’t have a 5G device, there is no way you can receive this signal or any impact as a consequence of it.

This is the big difference with 4G LTE, because its signal is distributed interchangeably from the telephone towers in all directions. In other words, it doesn’t matter if you have a 4G LTE cell phone or not, you will be receiving the signals from all the cell phone companies in your city. The same happens with radio, television, and Wi-Fi signals. You may not have any of these things in your home or office and even then you will still be exposed to dozens of nearby signals.

2. 5G works with millimeter waves (mmW) – MYTH

Although 5G is indeed a communication protocol originally conceived to operate in the range known as millimeter waves (transmission waves above 30 GHz), most of the public opinion is unaware that this new generation of telecommunications has been implemented in phases and does not require millimeter wavelengths to operate.

Also, many people don’t understand that a telecommunications platform cannot operate today on one frequency and tomorrow arbitrarily switch to another frequency band. Legally and technically, that is not possible.

Right now, dozens of groups, associations, and foundations are clamoring to stop the advance of 5G and demanding that they are not installed to take care of people’s health, and their arguments are mainly based on the damage caused by millimeter waves. All these people do not know how 5G is being adopted and at which frequencies it’s currently working.

3. I have to change my phone to continue communicating – MYTH

Many of the world’s top tech developers are barely creating new devices with the ability to receive 5G, and very few of them are for sale right now. In fact, pioneering brands like Apple do not yet have devices that operate within that frequency.

Besides, you should bear in mind that the entry into the market of 5G technology does not imply the disappearance of current frequencies.

4. 5G waves impact health and the environment – TRUTH

Telecommunications in all its presentations cause electromagnetic pollution (EMF pollution), so this is not just a feature of 5G. As we have previously mentioned, anti-5G activism is sending the wrong message to public opinion and it’s making 4G LTE technology and WiFi in homes seem harmless, but they are definitely not.

Obviously, the higher the frequencies are, the more damaging to the environment and humans. However, 5G is being phased in and is now operating in the same window as 4G and WiFi, which is the Sub 6 band. Currently, there are more than 4,000 scientific studies that have investigated the harmful effects that the frequencies in this band cause in health and how they are produced.

Now, it is important to reiterate the problem that many people point out today with 5G has always existed and it has grown up to 300% in the last decade in conjunction with the revolution of wireless technologies and the increase in electricity consumption. As a consequence, the scenario worsens year after year and will continue to rise with serious consequences for our health and the environment.

These are the four most common 5G statements you’ll hear, but we invite you to delve much further to know the reality of how this technology is being implemented. In our next article, we will tell you much more about how to counteract the effects of 5G and other types of electro-pollution with our NOXTAK technology.