Decoding the Mystery of 5G
5G has been a technology that’s brought with it both excitement and fear. Many are excited for the promised advances in connection speeds and efficiencies. Yet others are mired in fears about what 5G actually is and what it might mean.
Anytime a new technology advancement emerges, especially one with as much promise as 5G, there are bound to be both conspiracy theories as well as legitimate questions regarding its use and security.
We’ll go through several of the fears and misunderstandings about 5G below and then go into what this technology truly means for the future of internet connectivity.
Do High Frequency Radio Waves Cause Cancer?
One of the fears going around is that because 5G has the ability to use higher frequency radio waves than current 4G/LTE technology, that it could cause cancer.
Current 4G networks use frequencies between 1 to 6 gigahertz (GHz), while 5G is in the 24 to 90 GHz range. When you use higher frequencies, the signal can’t travel as well through solid objects or as far, which means that the 5G network deployment involves putting small connectors on utility poles and the like.
This increase in the visibility and number of those “signal transmitters” is one reason the 5G cancer fear emerged.
What’s the fact on this?
According to the American Cancer Society there is “no strong evidence that exposure to radio frequency (RF) waves from cell phone towers causes any noticeable health effects.”
However, the site goes on to say that most experts agree that more research is needed to clarify any potential effects of RF waves and that as of now they also haven’t been proven to be absolutely safe.
(Just as an aside, microwaves also use RF waves.)
The site also states the same about cell phone towers and cancer, that there is no evidence supporting the theory that these towers cause cancer, but more research is needed.
Did a 5G Network Cause Hundreds of Birds to Die?
One conspiracy theory that’s been debunked is that a 5G network test in the Netherlands resulted in the death of hundreds of birds.
However, this theory was proven false because at the time of the mysterious bird deaths, there was no 5G testing happening anywhere in the area.
Are 5G and Coronavirus Connected?
A fairly “out there” conspiracy theory about 5G is that because China may have been putting 5G networks into place at the same time as the COVID-19 outbreak that somehow these two things are connected and 5G was responsible for the outbreak.
This is a false connection between two things that happened to be occurring at the same time. Additionally, multiple cell carriers began building out their 5G networks well before the first detections of COVID-19.
For example, Verizon put out its first 5G network rollout in April of 2019 in Chicago and Minneapolis, well before the pandemic.
What Can We Expect From 5G?
Much of the transformational promise of 5G has yet to be realized, but as cell carriers complete their networks, we should begin to see some of it in the near future.
Here are some of the things you can expect from the 5G network.
Significantly Faster Speeds & Near Zero Latency
5G is expected to be as much as 200x faster than 4G/LTE. That’s a connection speed that we can’t really fathom right now, but it will revolutionize remote activities.
With instant connections, you’ll see more IoT devices being deployed that can be operated by someone across the country or the world. Remote surgeries are one that’s been in the news, but it also opens up an entirely different way to doing things for other industries.
For example, if you run a warehouse where items need to be stocked, orders filled, and things moved around via forklift, you could eventually have all that being done by operators who are safely in an office. This means you could change your warehouse layout to be more efficient because you would not have to work around any people doing things by hand.
Improved Multi-Device Handling
Another big improvement of 5G is that it’s designed to support many more devices. So, even if you have several smartphones and tablets connected to a network in an urban area, you should not experience congestion, like many do with a 4G connection.
IoT devices are only continuing to grow and will soon make up a majority of endpoints on a company network (mobile devices currently hold that position).
5G will take the limitations of using smart sensors and other smart devices because companies won’t have to worry about bandwidth or congestion issues.
Wondering How 5G Can Improve Your Operations?
C Solutions can help your Orlando area business put together a plan that ensures you’re positioned to take advantage of 5G and any other technology advances in the future.
Schedule a free consultation today! Call 407-536-8381 or reach us online.