5G tech has no links with COVID-19 – NIEEE

The Nigerian Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (NIEEE) says the 5G technology has the potentials to accelerate global industrial and environmental advancement without health implications.

Mr Kings Adeyemi, the NIEEE’s National Chairman, said in a statement on Friday in Lagos that the evolution of every stage from 1G to the 4G technologies came with speculations and fears that never happened.

He stated that 5G technology has no link to COVID-19.

However, the acronym 5G stands for the fifth generation of mobile networks.

Available statistics showed that the new mobile technologies were lunched every 10 years interval.

Adeyemi explained that the technicalities behind the performance of Radio-Frequency Spectrum were the same, added that 5G was no exception and does not carry any health risk as being speculated.

The association chairman listed diseases rumoured in the various stages of the evolution of wireless network signals, which never happened, to include cancer and brain tumours.

He said that 5G technologies did not have any health risks and that it had nothing to do with the current coronavirus pandemic.

Adeyemi added that countries that do not have 5G networks have also recorded COVID-19.

“5G signals are transmitted over the radio waves, not by sneezing or handshake or any other ways coronavirus can be transmitted.

“5G signals are not bioagent, hence, they cannot be transmitted using transmitting station.

“As experts, we cannot link coronavirus pandemic to 5G mobile communication network.

“There are cases of coronavirus spreading in countries that do not have 5G networks.

“While the spread of coronavirus is a threat to life and global economy, the evolution of 5G will digitally transform healthcare, energy, financial services, transportation, entertainment, manufacturing, agriculture and supply-chain management sectors among others,’’ Adeyemi said.

He explained that the telecoms industry has several acronyms, which meant different things being mixed by some stakeholders.

He said that this led to the current misunderstandings and misinformation about the technology.

He said that making 5G a platform for many wireless technologies to co-exist would enhance technologies behind the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, smart city, smart home, self-driving cars, remote operations, and machine learning among others.

“With the advancement of technology in the 20th century, humanity has been exposed to various forms or ionised and non-ionised forms, which enhanced fast operations.

Adeyemi said that all the health concerns about 5G network had no scientific base, and as such, should be disregarded.

He added that 5G “will usher in a new era that encouraged cross-sector cooperation and partnership due to cross-sector infrastructure sharing as a cost reduction option to enhance access connectivity’’.

According to him, in order to enhance the fast roll-out of 5G services, electricity grid, oil pipelines, rail lines, and highways will experience more fibre optic cables network.

“We strongly recommend that all our roads and rail networks be equipped with self-sustaining cable ducts so that our transportation system can become intelligent.

“This cross-sector fibre deployment is the fundamentals toward our smart cities dream.

“As professionals with authority in this subject, we stand by the side of conformance with globally approved radio communication regulations, standards, specifications and other guidelines developed for 5G networks,’’ he said.

He pledged the institute’s commitment to continue to support and advise government, organisations and educate the public on matters within its jurisdiction of electrical and electronic engineering profession.

NIEEE, established 36 years ago, has 28 national chapters with three broad sub-divisions of electrical engineering fields of Power Engineering, Telecoms, and ICT as well as the Instrumentation and Control Sections.