5G could be bad for health and national security
WHY all the rush for 5G? With recent articles published in the Guernsey Press advising us all of impending 5G technology and its implications to the Channel Islands, I felt I had to add my views on this subject. A Guernsey Press article dated 26 November says, ‘JT announced last week it had signed a deal with Chinese firm ZTE to build the first 5G mobile network in the Channel Islands, which it hopes will be in operation by 2021.’ This choice of supplier took me by surprise due to recent news from the BBC Technology website (links below this article), and I quote: ‘The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has written to UK telecoms providers warning them that the use of ZTE’s equipment and services could pose a national security risk’.
With the link between Chinese companies to their government, again I quote, ‘Under Chinese law, companies must co-operate with the intelligence services. Analysts therefore warn that equipment produced by firms such as Huawei and ZTE could be compromised’, meaning that so far Australia and New Zealand have banned Hauwei and ZTE from providing 5G installations, the United States has previously banned Huawei from bidding for government contracts because of fears over espionage and ZTE has also had its activity restricted in the US. India have also said ‘no’ to ZTE and Hauwei to date and excluded them from any 5G trials due to the same fears. These are serious concerns, especially if given from those who are employed to keep us and our infrastructures safe.
I do hope Jersey has considered these implications carefully, especially if the UK goes ahead and follows suit in banning ZTE from quoting to install 5G networks and they don’t see Jersey’s choice of supplier as an issue for their national security. The UK could feel that it may offer a ‘back door’ in from a Crown Dependency, and I’d imagine they would not be best pleased at the least to go against their advice. I do urge our telcos to proceed with caution over who they choose if 5G does have to go ahead. We don’t want our network traffic to be considered as any possible risk to the UK.
Not only from a national security point of view, as serious as that is, I personally would prefer the local 5G project to be put on hold, at least while the technology is tested elsewhere and found not to have any detriment to the environment.
4G works on the island so why all the rush for extra speed, that most users wouldn’t use or notice, without proper scrutiny and testing first? It does all seem to be a rush to get this regardless of the many negatives. Many well regarded experts in their fields have raised their concerns and the technology is still in its infancy. For anyone reading this article in any doubt, just do a search online for ‘5G health concerns’.
With a required 150 – yes, you read that right – another 150 extra masts to be located on this island of 25 square miles, there would be no place to hide from this form of radiation for any of us, our wildlife included, however ‘small’ those masts are.
References:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-46368001
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-45281495
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-43784990
https://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india-rings-cisco-samsung-nokia-ericsson-for-5g-trials-bars-chinese-huawei-zte/65800938
NAME AND ADDRESS WITHHELD.