As the world is witnessing its first global health crisis in 100 years with the outbreak of novel coronavirus, a deadly disease that the World Health Organization has declared a pandemic, the huge number of infected people and deaths has not only caused panic, it has also served as a fertile ground for various forms of conspiracy theories and myths.
One of these conspiracy theories that has since become a major issue is the questionable link of the viral disease to the advent of the superfast 5G wireless technology. According to the proponents of this theory, the coronavirus was caused by radiations from the 5G technology.
American singer, Keri Hilson, was the first person to push this notion when on March 15, she took to her Twitter page where she expounded how 5G supposedly infects humans with the virus. Almost immediately, rumors and conspiracy theories over a link between the roll out of 5G and the spread of coronavirus started spreading through social media networks. A variety of groups exist on Facebook and Nextdoor, where thousands of members repeat the misleading claims that 5G is supposedly harmful.
One theory claims that the novel coronavirus originated in Wuhan because the Chinese city had recently been rolling out 5G. It is now supposedly spread to other cities that are also using 5G. These false conspiracy theories neglect to mention that a highly contagious virus would naturally spread more in densely populated cities with access to 5G, and that the coronavirus pandemic has hit counties like Iran, Japan, Nigeria, and other African countries where 5G is not in use yet.
The theory eventually found its way to the academic circle with Dr. Thomas Cowan’s misleading argument that each time there is a launch of each generation of “Gs”, a pandemic break. Since that video surfaced online, this notion has since spread like wildfire thereby leading to panic among many citizens of the world, including Nigeria where the 5G technology is yet to be activated.
The issue became so burning in the country that the federal government was forced to issue a press statement on Saturday to allay fears of the citizens on the 5G network.
In a statement personally signed by Isa Ibrahim Pantami, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, and made available to KAFTAN Post, government explained that the National Frequency Management Council (NFMC) is yet to release any bulk frequency for the deployment of 5G in the country.
He also said in clear terms that his office was yet to give approval for the deployment of the 5G Network in Nigeria.
To begin with, only few Nigerians understand the meaning or functions of 5G. On this note, we should take time to explain what the “G” word itself stands for. G means generation. Therefore, 5G stands for 5th Generation Mobile Technology. Before now, the world has witnessed the generation of 4Gs.
It would be recalled that during the second world war that lasted from 1938-1945, the usage of early radio phones was limited to military use, and not available for civilian or commercial use. These were AM radio phones, that functioned as Walkie-Talkies. However, the general public was given access to them when the first commercial 1G mobile network in the world was launched by Nippon Telephone and Telegraph Company (NTT) in Tokyo, Japan on December 1 1979. While the first mobile phones were still car phones, the network was automated switching without the need for human switchboard operator.
This continued until 1991 when the advancement in technology led to the introduction of the 2G. Unlike the intermittent and disruptive growth of 1G cellular networks, 2G mobile communication technology evolved in a planned and cooperative manner. For the first time, data service was added to the mobile network while the Short Message Service was introduced. 2G network also led to the emergence of cheaper, smaller, lighter and sleek phones.
The 2G remained in use until October 1 2001 when the 3G was launched in Japan. Albeit initially somewhat limited in scope, obvious concerns about its reliability delayed the wider availability of the network that eventually became a household name in every country across the globe.
The world’s first publicly available LTE service was opened in both Sweden and Norway on December 14, 2009, and branded 4G. indeed, aside from the aviation sector and television sector, the mobile telecommunications industry is probably one of the most innovative and fastest developing of all.
According to Qualcomm, an American multinational fabless semiconductor and telecommunications equipment company, 5G will “elevate the mobile network to not only interconnect people, but also interconnect and control machines, objects, and devices. 5G will deliver new levels of performance and efficiency that will empower new user experiences and connect new industries. 5G will deliver multi-Gbps peak rates, ultra-low latency, massive capacity, and more uniform user experience.”
According to Emeka Oparah, a technology research consultant, “5G is similar to 4G but it has much better speed, low latency and has capacity to take more users. It has the capability to enhance the broadband we know today to do more, connect more people and devices and generate more revenue. It is indeed super-fast and has a much smaller cell site than what we already know. And that is no surprise as the world seems to be going smaller, especially in the world of technology. Comparably, 5G is a unified platform that is more capable than 4G”.
In his rebuttal which he titled “My stance on the conspiracy theories of COVID-19 against 5G LTE,” Progress Ogbasi, a data communication networks & machine learning analysts, argued that no shred of scientific evidence is available in either impact factor or peer-reviewed journal to validate the claim.
Ogbasi is of the opinion that this is one of “such conspiracy theories propagated in the mainstream media to cause unnecessary anxiety and panic among the general populace”.
Explaining further, Ogbasi said “5G transmits signals at higher frequencies and bandwidth between 30GHz-300GHz in the electromagnetic spectrum chart to enable users transfer wireless data faster with rates up to 10Gbit/s than older cellphone standards like: 4G LTE, 3G, 2G and 1G respectively. The 5G LTE network will mark a complete paradigm shift from previous generations with provisions for ultra-high frequencies and massive bandwidths enabling inter-connectivity for Internet of things (IoT) and smart cities, thereby allowing governments, citizens and communities to realize and participate in the socio-economic benefits delivered by an advanced, data-intensive, digital economy. 5G promises to offer 1000-fold increase in speed for data transfer and will revolutionize technology-IoT, Automation, Telecommunications etc
“Anyone conversant with radiation Physics knows that this is still within the range of non-ionizing radiation band, hence doesn’t portend any health risk. It’s radiation that falls within the ionizing band that are culprits in oncological (cancer) cases, hence poses a potential health hazards. Such radiation includes: X-ray, UV, and Gamma radiations etc.,” he concluded.
Indeed, series of reports and academic papers have been written on whether 5G network pose any risks to human health. In a recent BBC report titled “Does 5G pose health risks?” the medium discovered that while a small increase in overall exposure to radio waves is possible when 5G is finally added to the existing network, the overall expected will remain low.
In a toxicology report published by the World Health Organization in 2019, the international health body recognised the fact that people are understandably concerned over whether they might elevate their risk of cancer with 5G network. The organisation was, however, quick to maintain that radio waves are far less energetic than even the “visible light that human experience every day.” It concluded, therefore, that there is no reputable evidence that mobile phones or wireless networks have caused human health problems.
In his book “The Irrational Ape: Why Flaw Logic puts us all at risk, and How Critical Thinking Can Save the World,” David Grimes argued that 5G technology would require a lot of transmitting stations and that considering the fact that there would many transmitters, each 5G would run at lower capacity levels than the existing 4G technology. He therefore, concluded that the level of radiation exposure from 5G antennas will be extremely lower than what is presently being witnessed with 4G technology.
Another points being raised by the critics of 5G is in the level of heat that 5G technology may generate. However, Professor Rodney Croft, an adviser to the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), allay whatever concern anyone might have. In his paper titled, “Mobile phone use and incidence of brain tumour histological types, grading or anatomical location: a population-based ecological study,” he argued that while microwaves generate heat in objects through which they pass, the levels used for 5G heating effects are not harmful.
He stated further that “the maximum radio frequency level that someone in the community could be exposed to from 5G is so small that no temperature rise has been observed to date.”
That this arguments and counter-arguments are taking place just as the world is battling with pandemic is disturbing. For example, while the likes of Dr. Cowan claimed that major epidemic always occur each time a “G” network is being launched, there is no iota of evidence that supports this argument.
First, the last major epidemic that swept the world off its feet like we are witnessing now was the Spanish Flu of 1918-1920 through which about 50 million died while nearly 500 million people were infected and at this period, there was nothing like the introduction of G technology. In 1979 when the first 1G technology was unveiled, there was no major epidemic. In 1991 when the 2G second generation cellular technology was launched, there was no history of epidemic. And while the 3G technology was launched on October 1 2001, there was no outbreak and when the SARS that killed about 8,000 people broke out in Asia in 2003, 3G was nearly two years in existence. Also in 2009 when the 4G was launched, no outbreak was recorded.
Finally, in clear term, there is no scientific evidence that links the coronavirus pandemic to 5G, nor is there any immediate negative health effects to 5G. All the academic and independent fact checking organisations have explored the claims and have recorded 5G electromagnetic radiation levels well below international guidelines.
In the time of uncertainty such as this, the coronavirus pandemic makes careful handling of information even more crucial than usual. As scientists continue to study how the plague took hold in Wuhan, China, and around the world, the infections pathways have proven fertile for ground speculation and conspiracy theories. And while coronavirus’ earliest origins remain uncertain, the misinformation being peddled in the halls of social media has led to the distortions and amplifications of technology and medical history. As medical professionals are busy fighting a highly contagious pandemic, it is unfortunate that medical historians, technology scholars and social media networks are having to fight an equally destructive viral spread of inanity online.
