nexGworx is actively monitoring public health matters and incorporating them into its work programme. A considerable amount of research has been carried out on radio waves and we anticipate that 5G technology will cause no negative effects on public health.
The Government, via Public Health England (PHE) has provided further guidance on this – Radio Waves. Any further questions relating to 5G and public safety should be directed to PHE at enquiries@phe.gov.uk.
For more information on 5G safety, please see further material from the UK Government and Mobile UK.
nexGworx is also actively monitoring the public health stance towards coronavirus (COVID-19). The Government, via Department of Health and Social Care and Public Health England (PHE) has provided further guidance on this – Coronavirus.
5G is the next generation of mobile technology. It works in the same way as existing mobile network technology, but gives you a faster and more reliable connection, even when you’re in the busiest places.
What are the benefits of 5G?
5G is much faster than 4G, which is the technology most of our smartphones use. Faster speeds mean you can download movies and box sets in seconds rather than minutes, and stream live sports on-the-go.
You get a more reliable connection with 5G, particularly in crowded places like train stations and stadiums. This means you can share photos and videos, and make video calls.
With 5G you’ll also get an almost instant connection, making everyday tasks feel super-fast. Web pages will load much more quickly, and you can play games and stream videos without lag.
How does 5G differ from 4G?
Mobile network technology is continually evolving, moving from 1G to 2G and 3G to 4G, each faster than the previous version, enabling you to do more things with your phone.
5G is not a replacement for 4G, it will work alongside 4G networks and your phone will use both to keep you connected. 5G is being built in the busiest parts of the busiest cities in the UK.
If you’ve got a 4G phone, don’t worry it will still work – investment is still taking place in 4G networks and it is being rolled out to more rural areas.
— Mobile and WiFi networks have been in use in the UK and around the world since the 1980s, and there is no evidence of harmful effects. 5G uses the same group of radio waves that have been tested and in use for decades.
— These radio waves are ‘non-ionizing’. This means that they do not have the energy to change the DNA structure of a cell. This means that these radio waves don’t create cancerous cells.
— Ionizing radio waves include things like beta rays, gamma rays and x-rays, which do have the energy to change cell structures. That’s why there are lots of measures in place to protect you when you go for an x-ray in the hospital.
— The radio waves used in mobile networks can cause a small increase in body temperature – that’s why we have strict guidelines in place to ensure that members of the public can never get too close to our masts.
— 5G in the UK will use waves at 3.4-3.8GHz in 2019. In the future, 5G may use lower spectrum like 700MHz, or higher spectrum like 26GHz or 32GHz. These higher waves are known as millimetre waves (or ‘mmWaves’). Some people are saying that these higher waves are dangerous and that they haven’t been researched. Neither of these things is true.
— mmWaves are completely safe – they are non-ionizing, and there has been research into them since 1895! These frequencies are used in the UK for carrying mobile data between some masts, and there has never been any adverse effect – on people or the environment.
‘5G Facts’
— 5G networks in the UK in 2019 will use 3.4-3.8GHz spectrum
— 5G could use frequencies between 700MHz and 86GHz in the next ten years
— Waves used by 5G in 2019 are even lower than the WiFi routers in most houses
— All waves used for mobile networks and WiFi are ‘non-ionizing’, which means they don’t create cancerous cells
‘5G Myths’
— ‘5G will cause cancer.’ This is not true – the radio waves that 5G will use do not have the energy to change the structure of a cell, so cannot create cancerous cells
— ‘Trees will be cut down to allow 5G networks to be built.’ This is not true – we won’t be cutting down any trees for 5G
— ‘Birds will be affected by the frequencies being used for 5G.’ This is not true – the frequencies being used for 5G have been in use in the UK for many years, with no adverse effects
— ‘There will be a 5G antenna every 10-20 homes across the countryside.’ This is not true – 5G ‘small cells’ will be used in densely populated cities, but not in this volume and not in rural areas
The strength and benefits of 5G lie in its widespread capabilities, including:
Enabling Internet of Things (IoT)
The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to a system of interrelated, connected objects that are able to collect and transfer data over a wireless network without human intervention. With more connected objects than ever before, only 5G can manage a large volume of devices communicating over the network. With 5G enabling IoT, the technology does the work.
Automated and real-time data collection and processing
Only 5G has the ability to collect the large volumes of data captured from IoT devices as it’s produced and processed into a system at high speed. The speed and volumes of data collection via 5G enables organisations to make smarter data-driven decisions in real-time.
Latency as low as 1ms
With latency (or lag) down to speeds of just 1 millisecond, connections and data-sharing can happen instantaneously. This means automated decisions can be made based on real-time findings.
Private networks with built-in security
5G private networks come with built-in security as standard, meaning businesses can be assured their data being shared over 5G, such as confidential performance data or IP addresses is protected. Only authorised persons can approve what devices can connect to and use the network.
One network for multiple applications
Only one 5G network is required, regardless of multiple machine applications. The network can effectively process all of the data from multiple sources and streamline to one system.
Dedicated network slicing
A 5G private network provides you with bandwidth of frequency to use. Network slicing is the process of dedicating a certain amount of this bandwidth for 5G technology in the working environment to a specific application (known as use cases) by sharing secure isolated network slices.
Each use case requires its own network slice, and 5G private networks are built in a manner that allows speed, availability, capacity and coverage to be allocated in logical slices to meet the needs of the use case. With a percentage of your network solely dedicated to a certain use case, organisations can guarantee a continuous level of service and ‘slice’ their 5G private network as they choose as their business needs evolve.
Business grade availability of 99.999%
‘Business grade’ ensures that you have a connection that’s reliable and fast enough to meet your business needs. Business Grade availability details how likely it is that the network will ‘go down’ or be interrupted.
5G offers Business Grade availability of over 99.999%, compared to a good 4G network that delivers up to 99.1% availability. In real terms, this translates to the potential downtime of over 4,700 minutes (or nearly 3 and a half days) for 4G, and only five minutes of downtime of the 525,600 minutes in a year for 5G. This means the network is robust and reliable enough to handle all business needs, including those at most critical, with minimal risk of interruption.
