The truth about the 5G technology
Many of my friends have recently contacted me with rumors regarding the new 5G mobile technology. There are many unfounded rumors out there, such as those that claim the technology is dangerous in other ways, causes cancer or other diseases, interferes with radios and airplanes, etc. Unfortunately, the information sources are never competent in any fundamental area of engineering or technology; even the news in the media lacks the fundamental scientific understanding necessary to discuss this subject. I am by no means an expert in technology, but I will attempt to explain what 5G is, what the real problems with the technology are (if there are any), and what the risks are.
GSM: The beginning
The first widely adopted phone signal standard, GSM, was created in Europe and first implemented in Finland. Depending on the nation, it used the 800MHz, 900MHz, or 1800 MHz bands. Due to the dumb protocol used in the early technology, it only supported voice connectivity. In the early 2000s, a well-liked data connection standard was added to the GSM standard. The GPRS was the first (widely accessible) iteration of this (GSM 2.5). Later, the protocol was improved and given the new name EDGE (GSM 2.75), which can provide faster internet. While EDGE can handle 48 kbyte/sec, GPRS supports up to 5 KByte/sec.
WiFi: communication in homes
In 1997, WiFi for home use started to become available, initially operating at 2.4GHz. Using the 1.3 MByte/sec bandwidth, the WiFi 802.11b standard, which was the first to gain widespread adoption, offered 11 MBit/sec, while the 802.11a standard using the 5 GHz brand provided 54 MBit/sec.
2.4 GHz vs 5 GHz
As we can see, the 5 GHz standard has a higher data throughput than the 2.4 GHz standard. Communication may become slower as the frequency decreases. It will take some time to send a morse signal when someone is turning on and off a flashlight. However, communication would speed up if a computer repeatedly turned on and off this flashlight. Then you might respond, "Oh, then the frequency is larger, the communication is faster." I guess not quite. When using higher frequencies, there are significant disadvantages.
Issues that occur more frequently
Let's use a flashlight as an example, which can be seen by everyone from a greater distance each time it is turned on or off. However, communication will become less noticeable as it becomes more rapid. Radio and cell phone communication operate similarly. You can use your radio to receive LW frequencies from other nations, and you can even run such a radio on a budget. The higher audio quality FM radio stations, on the other hand, require multiple transmitter antennas in virtually all major cities, and they abruptly stop broadcasting after a certain distance.
The 2.4 vs 5 GHz WiFi coverage
When using a good WiFi router and a connected device, even your neighbors can easily pick up the 2.4 GHz WiFi signal. However, when using the 5 GHz standard, the coverage quickly decreases after a few meters. The expectations when using the same router with the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi standards are explained by the example below, which uses the same antenna and wattage:
Green denotes a strong signal, yellow a weak signal, and red a signal of poor quality.
We can see that the range of the 5 GHz WiFi signal is roughly half that of the 2.4 GHz signal. The same principle applies to radio and mobile communication stations: the lower the frequency, the farther the signal can travel.
Signal strength vs signal power
There are several techniques that can be used to deal with signal distance loss. One of them is directional antennas, which broadcast the radio signal only in that direction. Increasing the signal strength is a further trick. A typical 2.4 GHz WiFi device uses 17 or 19 DBm (0.05 or 0.075 watts). Stronger routers can be configured to 23 or 24 DBm (0.2W or 0.25W). The strongest routers can be set to 27 DBm (0.5 Watts), but this is above legal limits and is unlikely to result in better coverage because the device must also be able to communicate back to the WiFi hotspot, making it unlikely that simply using more muscle will solve the issue.
WiFi cannot be set below 2.4 GHz because that is the legal limit for unlicensed civil use. WiFi has only a few sub-bands because it is impossible to have a large number of communication channels at such low frequencies. If a person wants more than a few meters of coverage, he must use the 2.4 GHz WiFi standard rather than the 5 GHz standard.
The apperance of 3G
The 3G mobile standard took the place of GSM and, in theory, supports download speeds of up to 6 MBit (800-900 KByte/sec) and upload speeds of up to 100-200 KByte/sec. Realistically, 1-2 MBit can be anticipated. With 3G, a network operating at 2100 MHz is obviously necessary to achieve high data rates; for instance, a 3G operating at 900 MHz will not be noticeably faster than EDGE.
And even so, this is too little.
There is definitely a need for high-speed mobile internet when compared to cable-based internet speeds, which can easily exceed 100 MBit/s or even 1 GBit/sec these days. The frequency must be significantly raised in order for this to be possible. If you've ever wondered why, when you travel to rural areas or the outskirts of cities, your cell phone switches back to EDGE from 3G, this is the main cause.
The new 5G standard
Higher frequencies and newer standards are needed to achieve higher data rates on portable devices. The frequency used by 5G is 24 or 54 GHz, which is a factor of ten higher than that used by earlier standards. The new 5G standard also has a 900 MHz implementation option, but this low frequency is not frequently used because higher data rates couldn't be reached with it. Wide coverage for the new system will require extensive use of signal repeaters.
High frequencies vs walls
Low frequencies, like the GSM signal at 800-900 MHz, can easily pass through barriers like walls, trees, and other objects. This is a problem above 2.4 GHz because walls can hardly be penetrated by higher frequencies, like 5 GHz WiFi. For coverage, one repeater will need to be installed essentially on every street, which means that compared to 4G, these high frequency 5G towers will require much more energy to operate.
Forceful upgrade to 5G
Poor cell phone coverage is common in rural areas; for instance, my location has only had stable 3G since October 2021. (and this standard was introduced about 15 year ago). With GSM, a single sizable radio tower was sufficient for an entire region. With 5G, rural areas won't be covered. The majority of nations have begun to phase out the 3G network, which means that regions like mine will once again rely on the EDGE network and that 5G coverage appears to be completely improbable.
High frequencies vs airplanes
There is a false claim that 5G disrupts the network used for airplane communications. While 5G doesn't interfere with communication, it does so with weather and height altimeter radars. High frequencies are used to detect weather conditions and ground heights because higher frequencies cannot effectively penetrate objects and will interfere with the signal of 5G equipment installed throughout cities. Because of this, airplanes occasionally are unable to use their own radars to steer clear of hazardous cloud formations, severe weather, and mountainous areas, which reduces the safety of the flights.
High frequencies vs cancer
Previous research found a correlation between some frequencies and the occurrence of cancer. Although 5G uses frequencies that are lower than those that can cause cancer, very high frequencies can. However, if a 5G repeater is located closer to a person than 3–4 meters away, other health effects to the person's health can be anticipated. When these devices are used for an extended period of time, fatigue and sleep issues may develop.
To summarize
The new 5G networks will increase internet speeds for a select few.
New, more durable devices are required.
For maximum bandwidth, devices must be deployed on every street.
Limited signal range and coverage
The technology will not benefit rural areas.
Delay in deployment
Disrupts flight radars
Very costly