Source https://interestingengineering.com/the-weird-world-of-hiding-5g-technologies-in-plain-sight

By Marcia Wendorf Mar 17, 2021

Along the roadsides of posh North Scottsdale, Arizona are some tall Saguaro cacti, but look a little closer and you’ll notice something strange. Many of the cacti are exactly 24-feet-tall, and they all look alike.

The Scottsdale cacti are actually 4G LTE and 5G fixed wireless antennas, and they’re not alone. In the Eastern U.S. and the Denver, Colorado area, some of the beautiful pine trees are actually antennas, while in the South, antennas are masquerading as palm trees.

And, it’s not just trees that you need to be suspicious of. In Texas, antennas are hiding out in city recycling bins, while in the Midwest, some of the ubiquitous water towers aren’t what they seem. Across the country, light poles, traffic lights, signs, chimneys, rooftops, lanterns, church steeples, and clock towers are hiding radio equipment.

The need to hide 5G antennas

5G, or fifth-generation wireless, promises speeds above 1 Gbit/s, which is vastly faster than 4G LTE, along with near-zero latency, or lag time. In September 2018, the Federal Communications Commission released its 5G Fast Plan, which calls for cities, cell and cable providers, and electric utilities to work together so that 5G can be rolled out as quickly as possible across the U.S.

5G operates at higher wave frequencies and shorter millimeter wavelengths than 4G. This causes 5G waves to be more easily blocked by objects, such as houses or trees. Even leaves can block a 5G signal. To counter this, 5G uses “small cell” antennas, which are around the size of a pizza box, and it needs lots of them.

5G antennas must be set up every couple of hundred feet apart, which is around the length of a city block. In order to allow for self-driving vehicles, the 5G antennas must be located close to street level.

Small cell antennas have a range of around 656 feet (200 meters), and they connect to the Internet via fiber optic cables. The types of small cell antennas that are deployed vary, depending on the spectrum bands that a cell operator is using, and the vendors who are supplying the transmission equipment.

“Not in my backyard”

While the public wants the increased speed and bandwidth that 5G promises, increasingly across the U.S., the installation of small cell antennas has been met with cries of “not in my backyard.” Cities such as Baltimore, Maryland and Arvada, Colorado have passed legislation requiring that cell carriers camouflage, obscure, or disguise their small cell antennas.

Read more at: https://interestingengineering.com/the-weird-world-of-hiding-5g-technologies-in-plain-sight

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The aim is to reassure the public and local officials before technology is rolled out across country.

In 2021, 80% of popular smartphone models sold in France are expected to be tested for 5G safety

13 October 2020

By Joanna York

The government announced plans on Monday (October 12) to double testing on the possible effects of being exposed to 5G waves, before the technology is rolled out throughout France.

Fears around 5G are numerous and include specific worries about the health risks of being exposed to the strong electromagnetic waves that 5G technology relies on. General suspicions over 5G technology in France have also lead to antennas being vandalised by people who are against the new technology.  

Scientists in France have debunked 5G health concerns, but government agency l’Agence nationale des Fréquences (AFNR) will now increase tests on mobile phones and antennas to reassure the public and local officials that 5G technology is safe.

5G Smartphone tests

Smartphone tests will measure the DAS rate (débit d’absorption spécifique known as SAR, or Specific Absorption Rate in English) to understand how much energy the human body absorbs while using products that can connect to 5G networks such as smartphones, tablets and connected watches. 

Tests will be run by AFNR in a laboratory, using smartphones that are currently available on the French market. 

In 2019, 70 types of smartphones were tested and in 2021 this number will rise to 140. This means 80% of popular smartphone models sold in France should be tested by the AFNR in 2021. 

Results will be made public. 

5G tests on antennas

5G antennas are already subject to strict testing by AFNR – in 2019 more than 3,000 were tested. These tests revealed average exposure almost 150 times lower than maximum level thresholds defined by French and European standards.

Cédric O, junior minister for the digital economy said in a press release that tests on antennas will also increase. He said: “In the context of launching 5G, ANFR will do 4,800 specific tests to measure the strength of emissions from antennas before and after 5G is deployed.”

Mr O confirmed that local officials would have full access to the results of these tests. 

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y45x97mp

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