5G - Information
Does the 5G frequency spectrum really go to 100 GHz?
The consortium responsible for this has plans up to about 80 GHz so far. However, the uppermost frequency bands are only suitable for transmission in the immediate vicinity, for example from computer to screen. In this respect, this uppermost frequency range is not so relevant for electro-sensitive people, because it is up to the user to decide whether to use such applications or not (if 5G in this frequency spectrum should be commercially available in a few years).
The planning for 5G in the frequency range around 28 GHz is much more concrete, where the main focus is on (temporary) coverage of, for example, football stadiums, shopping centres and the like, and on wireless Internet on railway lines and in public transport. Here, too, the range is very limited and in order to minimise power consumption, the suppliers will try to concentrate the radiation as closely as possible to the area that is absolutely necessary. However, the demonstrations so far have revealed major technical difficulties, because even a tree blocking the direct line of sight to the transmitter led to considerable reductions in the transmission rate, even to connection interruptions.
At which frequencies does 5G transmit?
The frequency bands planned today are:
Around 700 MHz.
at 2 GHz
between 3 and 4 GHz (also worldwide at least below 6 GHz, “Sub 6 GHz Band”)
around 28/30 GHz
up to about 80 GHz
The large gap between 4 GHz and 28 GHz is striking. The only radio services relevant to building biology in this area are the “5 GHz WLAN” (between 5 and 6 GHz) and a wide range of radar frequencies between 8.5 and 9.5 GHz.
At which frequencies does 5G transmit?
Experts are arguing about this, as well as about the harmfulness of electrosmog in general. Just think of the decades-long discussion about the harmfulness of asbestos! A precautionary minimization of personal exposure to 5G radiation seems sensible. The following, physically undoubted connection is reassuring: the higher the frequency, the lower the radiation propagation or, to put it another way: the higher the frequency, the higher the attenuation of 5G radiation (any HF radiation!) just by the air or the all the more so with the usual building materials such as stone, wood or glass. In this respect, indoor spaces, i.e. apartments or houses, already offer quite good protection with regard to the higher 5G frequencies.
Why are the 5G frequencies below 6 GHz particularly critical?
From the point of view of building biology, it is particularly important to keep the electrosmog load in sleeping areas low, because the organism should be free from external stress during sleep in order to regenerate.
For technical and commercial reasons, however, it is precisely these lower 5G mobile radio frequencies that will lead to increased radiation exposure with 5G in sleeping areas. This is because lower frequencies have a longer transmission range and better penetration of common building materials with the same energy consumption. For the mobile phone provider, this means that more customers can be covered with largely the same infrastructure costs, i.e. higher profits can be achieved. The same phenomenon is known from the significantly better area coverage of the lower mobile radio bands compared to the upper ones, for example in mobile communications (900 MHz compared to 1800 MHz for GSM, and 800 MHz compared to 1800 MHz compared to 2700 MHz for LTE) or 2.4 GHz WLAN compared to 5 GHz WIRELESS INTERNET ACCESS.
While the 700 MHz is particularly recommended for rural areas and smaller towns, the newly auctioned frequency bands between 3 and 4 GHz will be increasingly used in inner city locations in favor of higher data rates. Even if this requires more transmitters to be set up at closer intervals. That is one of the main points of criticism from opponents of the 5G expansion.
Why does the market launch of 5G start with the lower frequencies?
Physical laws also apply to 5G, and hardware vendors react to this in a predictable manner: First, there’s the greater attenuation of high frequency radiation through the air. From a provider’s perspective, “greater attenuation” is synonymous with “more energy input and higher costs” – the commercial consequence: the lowest possible frequency band is always preferred (as is already the case with GSM, LTE and WLAN). The upper 5G bands up to over 50 GHz will thus remain reserved for very short distances with direct line-of-sight connections in the long term – a positive side effect for the population: their own four walls offer comparatively good protection.
The sarcastic phrase “Money makes the world go round” is of benefit to the general population as an exception and rather incidentally … a small consolation in view of the even higher total RF exposure with 5G.
5G
