Is 5G Dangerous or Harmful To Our Health? - A Summary of Previous Research

What Is 5G?

5G is the fifth generation of wireless technologies used to communicate between different mobile devices. It is supposed to be much faster and allows for more devices to be used at the same time. The G in 5G stands for generation. 

As smartphones replace other devices as the main personal computer, along with the growth of connected devices such as smart TV and smart speakers, having a reliable and faster internet speed become ever more important for our daily lives. 

5G has three bands, millimeter waves (high-band), mid-band, and low-band. The millimeter-wave is the fastest, with speed reaching 1-2 Gigabits per second. In theory, you could download an entire Netflix movie with a click.

How is 5G different from 4G LTE, 3G, and 2G?

The biggest difference here is speed. There have been studies indicating that 5G could reach a speed of 10 gigabits per second, 20 folds faster than 4G.

The second difference is in latency, the lag time between device communication. This means with 5G, more activities through the internet could be more real-time. For example, remote surgery could become a reality and driverless cars could communicate with each other to avoid a collision in milliseconds.

The third difference is in connectivity. 5G could support one million devices per square mile versus 10K-100K for 4G. This is 100 times better. 

The two biggest cons for 5G are cost and range. Because 5G uses micrometer waves to reach mobile devices, it has a much shorter range compared to 4G due to the nature of the electromagnetic spectrum. Verizon Ultra Wide Band technology cell could reach 1500 ft. This means we would need a different 5G small cell for every single block of Manhattan, and more in rural areas due to lower density. 

Because of the higher number of cell towers needed, 5G is going to cost significantly more. You can expect a 5G smartphone to cost $200-$300 more than your previous one.