We’ve been using mobile phones on a 4G network since around 2009, and people barely bat an eyelid. So why has the introduction of 5G a couple of years ago caused some people to panic that it’s not safe? Let’s clear up some of the confusion and rumour, so that you can see why 5G’s nothing to worry about.
What is 5G?
5G is a mobile phone network – and by that, we don’t mean a network provider like Vodafone or Three, but the whole network that all smartphones connect to around the world. It’s the fifth generation of this network – hence “5G” – and it’s capable of transferring loads more data than the old 4G network we’ve been used to for the last decade. It’s more reliable too – great if you’re trying to get a signal in a crowded place. It hasn’t completely replaced 4G yet, as a lot of people still have 4G phones, but it’s heading that way.
What is radiation?
Part of the reason that some people are scared of 5G is because they think think that a faster network equals more radiation. That’s not really how it works though. A quick science lesson – we’re constantly surrounded by all kinds of radiation. It takes the form of waves that pass through the air, and these waves have different wavelengths and frequencies. You’ll probably have seen them as wavy lines on a graph before – the taller the waves, the bigger the “wavelength”. And the more packed together each wave is, the higher the frequency.
If a type of radiation has a bigger wavelength and a higher frequency, it’s called ionising radiation and it can be dangerous for our bodies, causing things like cancer. But most everyday radiation is non-ionising, so it doesn’t have the energy needed to trigger any nasty reactions.
Is 5G dangerous?
So, where does 5G fall in the spectrum? It’s somewhere between the radiation waves caused by a TV and your average satellite dish. Non-ionising, and safe. In terms of risks for things like cancer, 5G is less dangerous than spending time in the sun, eating processed meat or drinking alcohol. And if you need a little bit of expert reassurance, 5G has been declared safe by Public Health England, the UK Health Protection Agency and the World Health Organisation. That’s some clever bods who reckon it’s fine.
Why do people think 5G is dangerous?
The word ‘radiation’ is naturally a bit scary. Most people know that some types of radiation cause cancer, and so it’s easy to put two and two together and get five if you don’t know about the harmless non-ionising radiation that exists all around us. A lot of the worry came from rumours that spread online too, and 5G’s cause wasn’t helped by being launched just as COVID-19 took hold. There are zero links between the two, but the timing of it didn’t help the scaremongering online.
Now that you know 5G is nothing to worry about, why not check out our range of 5G phones here?
