5G will soon be the new mobile radio standard and replace the LTE network. At up to 10 gigabits per second, it is about 30 times faster than the current standard, which will be of particular interest for the Internet of Things (IoT) or could set new standards in industry. But there seems to be a similar debate about the health consequences as with GSM and UMTS. All mobile radio technologies have one thing in common: our data is transmitted with the aid of so-called high-frequency electromagnetic fields (EMF), which can influence organisms at high intensity. How large this may be is clearly defined, at least for all currently widespread network standards. It is still necessary to find out how they act. But what about 5G? So far, there are no commercially available networks, only test areas. But if the mobile operators are to be followed, this will change very soon.

Fast and faster

The demand of our smartphones and tablets for ever larger amounts of data in ever faster networks seems limitless. Being able to stream everything in real time is not only interesting for videos. In industry, for example, production machines will soon be equipped with SIM cards. Similar to modern vehicles, status and location information is sent to the company's own network in a flash. The possibilities offered by this improved technology are tempting. In the so-called "Internet of Things", all everyday appliances are to be connected to the Internet - from rain jackets to kitchen appliances. 5G makes it possible because reaction times will be enormously shortened and the possible data rate will be up to 30 times higher than in the current LTE (4G) network.

What we already know about 5G

The ITA was assigned by the Austrian Parliament to carry out an overview study in cooperation with the AIT on the exact state of knowledge: "The exciting thing about 5G is not only the many possibilities it will bring, but also how the radiation exposure will change compared to the previous mobile radio standards GSM, 3G and LTE. We are looking at what is already known about the possible health effects of EMF. Current expert opinions of those international bodies that have dealt with the health effects of EMF, including the World Health Organization, are compiled and analyzed," said Michael Nentwich from the ITA on the recently launched project. The study is intended to show whether the current state of knowledge is already sufficient to enable politicians and industry to set clear limits or whether further studies are necessary. The first results will be available in the first half of 2020.

By: TB