What You Should Know About The Controversial 5G Technology
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By Halima Najib Umar
Earlier this year, 5G was finally introduced to the public by three operators namely; China Mobile Hong Kong (CMHK), Hong Kong Telecommunication company (HKT) and Hutchison.
MYTHS VS FACTS:
Since the discovery of wireless cellular network in the 1980s, technology has no doubt evolved when it comes to the processing power as well as the speed of wireless services are increasing at an exponential rate.
Since the introduction of this phenomenon to the public, there have been a vicious spread of rumours that have been nothing short of interesting to listen to. But it’s time to finally address each hearsay.
Firstly, what is 5G even about? On a brief note, it stands for the ‘Fifth Generation’ technology standard for cellular networks. What this means is that it delivers more data per second from its predecessor, that is the 4G.
While 4G goes at about a hundred megabytes per second, 5G is said to transmit at a whooping rate of ten gigabytes. This means that 5G (at its theoretical maximum speed) is about a hundred times faster than 4G (which majority of us use everyday).
So what does this mean for us commoners? It simply means our webpages load in fractions of nanoseconds, our streaming services are more efficient, downloading wouldn’t take forever (as it currently does) and many many more. So now that we have basic knowledge on the origins and properties of 5G, lets dive right into the myths:
Myth number one
The 5G radio waves are ionising. Meaning they can and change or damage the chemical composition of body cells and cause mutations.
FACT:There is a term used by scientists known as the electromagnetic spectrum. It is essentially the range of different wavelengths and frequencies that light can take on. So To give a little context, radio waves have the lowest frequency.
These for the bases of transmitting data in the telecommunication industry, radio waves are used in radars, radio broadcasting systems e.g classic fm, ray power fm, beat fm etc, TV stations such as CNN, NTA, Channels television all use radio waves.
The widespread use of radio waves in our everyday lives also depicts how harmless they are. Ionising waves are the ones that aren’t used just anywhere such as X-rays (you can’t get those often), even the sun! The sun emits ultraviolet rays which are ionising and could potentially cause skin cancer and mutations but the ozone layer in the atmosphere protects us from this mostly.
IN CONCLUSION: Although, the 5G might have a slightly higher frequency than its predecessors ( 4G) but be rest assured that when it come to causing cancer or mutations, it just isn’t strong enough.
Myth number three
Many people are of the belief that, Bill Gates is the master mind behind the coronavirus and is using 5G to create and spread the virus because he gave a ted talk on how the world is not ready for a pandemic in 2015.
Myth number two
Another myth is that, the 5G causes the coronavirus by the action radio waves ‘toxifying’ body cells. This prompts the body to fight against this toxicity by producing a chemical known as a virus and in this case, the coronavirus.
FACT:A virus as defined as the Merriam-webster dictionary is any of a large group of submicroscopic infectious agents that are usually regarded as nonliving extremely complex molecules, that typically contain a protein coat surrounding an RNA or DNA core of genetic material but no semipermeable membrane, that are capable of growth and multiplication only in living cells, and that cause various important diseases in humans, animals, and plants.
In short, they are classified as foreign organism, they also fall under the pathogen group. A pathogen is a foreign invader. Examples of viruses include the Ebola virus, Hepatitis A virus, Zika virus etc, our bodies do not produce viruses because our immune systems are programmed to destroy them when detected in the body.
Additionally, we’ve discussed the fact that 5G radio waves do not ionise hence do not leave any negative impact when human interaction occurs.
The fact is that Bill Gates is a philanthropist, he, together with his wife founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is committed to aiding countries in Africa with various issues regarding health. He has invested so much in the eradication of polio (a goal that will soon be reached).
So it’s safe to say he is a humanitarian and would not jeopardise the lives of millions of people for his selfish benefits, that goes against the code of humanitarians. Furthermore, his tech company (Microsoft) generates its revenue from people buying and using their devices hence, why would he want to kill off his consumers? His revenue generators? His customers?
IN CONCLUSION:
Bill Gates did not cause the coronavirus and is not promoting it in any way.
These are all the myths we can discuss without typing up a novella. So in a nutshell, 5G is just another step towards globalisation and technological advancement. It is made for the betterment of humanity and should not undergo the amount of scrutiny it does in the modern day society.
Halima Najib Umar is an indigene of Zamfara state, currently studying “A” Levels in the United Kingdom.
