UK Regulators Find No 5G Health Risk

UK regulators have tested the electromagnetic fields (EMF) created by 5G and have found no cause for concern.

5G represents a fundamental shift in wireless technology, ushering in speeds never before possible with 4G. The fastest type of 5G, high-band mmWave, offers speeds measured in gigabits rather than megabits. Unfortunately, mmWave has extremely limited range, requiring towers, base stations and boosters to be placed every couple hundred meters to provide proper coverage.

That blanketing coverage, not to mention the higher frequency, has caused concern among experts and advocates who believe 5G’s EMF emissions pose serious health concerns. In an effort to provide clarity on those concerns, UK regulator Ofcom conducted tests in 16 locations, across 10 different cities, according to Ofcom’s report (PDF).

“The results so far indicate that:

• In all cases, the measured EMF levels from 5G-enabled mobile phone base stations are at small fractions of the levels identified in the ICNIRP Guidelines (the highest level being approximately 1.5% of the relevant level); and
• The contribution of 5G to the total emissions level observed is currently low – the highest level we observed in the band used for 5G was just 0.039% of the reference level.”

Ofcom acknowledges in the report that 5G adoption is still in the early stages, and says it will continue to monitor EMF measurements as the technology continues to roll out. In the interim, however, the study is good news for wireless carriers and customers alike.