What 5G Gives and Gets
High Speed Wireless Could Deliver Potentially Harmful Frequencies
Did you know 5G is coming to Santa Barbara? Barring normal repairs, you’ve run into torn up and blocked off streets across town in preparation for its arrival. Now in Beta testing across the state and the country, 5G aims be fully installed between late 2018 and 2020. Plans exist to deploy it around the world by 2025, even to the most remote regions on earth.
This “fifth generation” of wireless technology transmits millimeter radio frequencies in the giga-hertz bandwidth that are extremely fast and short. We are currently in 4G, which transmits longer microwaves in the megahertz range allowing distant cell towers and fixed antenna to transmit to our devices. Because 5G’s waves are smaller than an inch, industry will be installing mini cell towers with “phased array” antennae to accelerate energy into concentrated, narrow, steerable high-power beams to provide each of us with high-speed, efficient cell service 24/7. Delivering blisteringly fast download speeds, 5G also ushers in no dropped calls, and strong signals no matter where we are or how many are using their devices at the same time. It will connect each individual to “the Internet of Things,” bring us artificial intelligence, self-driving cars, and smart homes and cities, as starters. The 5G compatible devices are currently underway.
Faster, shorter frequencies carry enormous amounts of data, but they do not travel very far. They need continuous support to reach their target, accomplished by substantial and dense infrastructure. Millions of the mini cell towers, carrying about 100 ports and nearly 1,000 tiny tracking antennae per cell tower, will be installed every 10 to 12 buildings, or every 1,000 feet to transmit 5G into our homes, offices, schools, cars, all buildings, and everywhere outside. In Santa Barbara proper, that translates to hundreds of mini cell towers all over town and many hundreds more in our neighborhoods.
Santa Barbara is placing the necessary transformer boxes, heaters, fans, and cable under the streets, hence some of our torn up roads. The mini cell towers on the ground are being installed as new, fake lamp posts, or on existing lamp posts. The dummy posts look exactly like our normal street lights, except where the light fixture has been replaced with a solid canister that houses the towers and antennae.
These ground installations are a portion of what is planned for 5G. Low orbit satellites now being launched into our skies will transmit the Internet of Things to every person on earth and cell service to the underserved. These same satellites will also receive detailed information from each individual, just as the mini cell towers on the ground will do, along with all our devices. It is called multiple input, multiple output.
Industry scientists say there will be no environmental or biological impact on any level, though as yet, none of the required impact studies have been done. Independent scientists and physicians are strongly advising the FCC to do the required studies before they allow 5G to be fully deployed. Their own trials have proven that, for one thing, 5G will cause cataracts in humans of any age as well as in animals. The “phased array” antennae track each other so wherever you are, a beam from your smartphone will be aimed directly at the cell tower and a beam from the tower will be aimed directly at you. These beams have the potential to go through the body that will have an effective radiated power 10 times as high of that of 4G phones. These beams will overlap in a crowd.
Over the last two-plus decades, independent research studies show wireless transmissions are one of the biologically active environmental toxins impacting animals, birds, bugs, bees, and plants. The World Health Organization classifies wireless as a Class B carcinogen. A full one-third of the population currently suffers from microwave illness. These 5G millimeter frequencies are expected to cause more biological harm than we currently have with 3G, 4G, and LTE (long-term evolution) transmissions. Scientists and physicians call wireless “The Cigarette of the Digital Age” and “the number one health threat of the 21st century.”
It is not clear yet how the low orbit satellites will affect our skies electromagnetically. With mounting correlation and evidence, there is serious concern that for our technological dependency and high speed conveniences, significant collateral damages, earthwide, will unmistakably escalate.
Miriam Lindbeck received certification as a specialist in electromagnetic radiation and as a building biologist from the International Institute of Building Biology and Ecology. She can be reached at miriamlindbeck@sbcoxmail.com.