Posted by: Tavis Patterson on February 8, 2022 at 11:45 am
What is 5G? The recent controversy about 5g has drawn more attention to the ongoing upgrades coming to cellular. This controversy centered around airports and how 5G was interfering with their landing equipment. Both Verizon and AT&T were involved in this and have been forced to shut down 5G towers close to airports. For a while they refused to, however, the airports threatened to cancel hundreds of flights causing Verizon and AT&T to respond. But what is 5G? Is it really that dangerous?
5G Explained
5G is the fifth generation of cellular networks. Creating new opportunities by being up to 100 times faster than 4G. 5G was created with the idea of creating a smarter, safer future. Technological limits restricted how connected we could really be. 5G is meant to break those limits. Integrated into vehicles, traffic systems, and even mobile gaming consoles it is meant to change the future. Sounds great right?
The Danger
The health risk is extremely small. 5G is using the same bands that have been in use since the late 1990s. The World Health Organization has said that “Any health effects of low-level electromagnetic fields if they exist at all, are likely to be very small compared to other health risks that people face in everyday life.” So why are people freaking out? Well, the recent controversy with airports does not cause health risks rather, it causes risks with their communication. As stated previously, the airports reported that it was interfering with their landing equipment. They could not see the precise distance until landing, which was very dangerous on low visibility days. This is currently under further investigation although Verizon and AT&T have both stated that it does not interfere.
3G Concerns
Another concern is that cellular service companies have been retiring 3G to make room for 5G. For most people this will not be a problem, however, some people are still running on devices that do not support 4G. If you have bought a phone in the past decade, you should be good. This also added to the airport drama since some of their equipment is still run on 3G. It seems like they are due for an update. As an IT service and IT support company, we want to keep you updated on trends for the future. It is recommended that you make sure you do not have any 3G devices running your business. If you do feel free to contact us at info@taznetworks.com for more information on how to upgrade.