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Is Sri Lanka ready for 5G technology?

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25 July 2019 01:20 am - 0     - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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Back in 2015, one of the promises of the Yahapalana Government was to issue free WiFi islandwide. Although Yahapalana voters are yet to see this promise being fulfilled, Sri Lanka will witness 5th Generation (5G) technology in the near future. Currently, local mobile operators use 3G and 4G technology as means of providing a better reception for users.

However, mobile reception in rural areas is still poor – poor to the extent that in most instances it turns to Edge, which is a part of 2G technology while other operators have no reception at all. In this backdrop, why Sri Lanka is in such a hurry to implement 5G when they could upgrade 4G technology to 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a sensible argument.

Apart from a better reception, cellular networks emit Electromagnetic Frequency (EMF) radiation which may bring about various health hazards. 


  • Cellular networks emit Electromagnetic Frequency (EMF) radiation which may bring about various health hazards
  • New applications will include fixed wireless internet, outdoor broadcast applications without the need for broadcast vans and greater connectivity for people on the move

Five smart poles have been erected already : Dr. Raghavan 

Although experts claim that Sri Lanka is a long way from implementing 5G technology, preparations are under way to install smart poles in several provinces in Sri Lanka.

The Daily Mirror is in possession of a contract put forward by edotco Services Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. (PV107581) to the Jaffna Municipal Council. When several complaints were made by the area residents, Northern Province Governor Dr. Suren Raghavan brought it to light and decided to discuss the matter with the TRC. “Five of these smart poles have been erected already,” Dr. Raghavan said in his comments to the Daily Mirror.

“There needs to be a procedure in which a contract should be passed. I’m all for technology, but these procedures need to take place in a democratic manner. They have already installed the antennas on these poles. The contract should be presented to the Jaffna Municipal Council, then it has to be debated. Depending on the decision made by the Council, the company can decide if they want to continue the rest of the installations.”

 

There needs to be a procedure in which a contract should be passed. I’m all for technology, but these procedures need to take place in a democratic manner

 

The contract further reads that the said Company has agreed to pay a lease of Rs. 3000 per month to the Jaffna Municipal Council. In addition to that the Company will pay an additional sum of Rs. 2000 for each smart lamp pole occupied / leased by each customer to fit small cell cellular antenna. However, the Municipal Councils Act Section 228 reads that ‘any contract for the execution or performance of any work or service or for the supply of any articles or materials for a Municipal Council, which involves an estimated expenditure of more than one thousand five hundred rupees, or which will or is expected to endure for more than one year, shall, if entered into in Sri Lanka, be reduced to writing and signed by the Mayor and the Commissioner on behalf of the Council..’


Hence the Daily Mirror sheds light on the uses of 5G technology and health concerns brought about by this sophisticated technology. 

Major categories of use for 5G include: Massive machine to machine communication; also known as the Internet of Things (IoT) which involves connecting billions of devices without human intervention at a scale not seen before. This has the potential to revolutionise modern industrial processes and applications including agriculture, manufacturing and business communications. 

 

Why is Sri Lanka in a hurry to implement 5G when it could upgrade 4G technology to 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a sensible argument ?

Ultra-reliable low latency communication; this includes real-time control of devices, industrial robotics, vehicle to vehicle communications and safety systems, autonomous driving and safer transport networks. 

Enhanced mobile broadband: 5G also provides significantly faster data speeds and greater capacity keeping the world connected. New applications will include fixed wireless internet access for homes, outdoor broadcast applications without the need for broadcast vans and greater connectivity for people on the move. 


No good science says mobile frequencies cause brain cancer : Prof. Samarajiva

“When we talk about 5G devices we are looking at fully upgraded self-driving vehicles,” said Prof. Rohan Samarajiva, former Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC). “It will communicate with road signs from the cameras, receive GPS information from satellites, give and take information from its owners and even the engine will communicate with the car if it’s going fast. 5G has low latency - the time taken for devices to respond to each other over a wireless network.

There have been debates on 5G frequency bands. Some have been optimised for in-building. But I see that there’s no urgency to introduce 5G to Sri Lanka. Frequency allocations in Germany and Australia will be different to those in Sri Lanka.

As such there’s a country by country regulation. My priority is the 700 MHz band currently used for broadcast. Everyone is giving it for mobile operators for better transmission. The lower the number, easier for it to go through walls. These bands are auctioned and these auctions happen in billions of USD. Currently we need to improve 3G and 4G, so that television reception will be improved around the island. 

My priority is the 700 MHz band currently used for broadcast. Everyone is giving it for mobile operators for better transmission

Speaking on health issues, Prof. Samarajiva went onto say that no good science says that mobile frequencies cause brain cancer. “The entire base of mobile frequencies is the reuse of frequencies. It is only in rural areas that they ramp up the power. But as we move towards 5G the reuse will be more because there’s less power. Therefore the lamppost will be important than the current towers. They have to be close to each other than the current antenna since there’s lower power being generated.”


Cellular towers emit EMF radiation, but no evidence of cancer : Dr. Mahendra Perera

In his comments, Dr. Mahendra Perera, Consultant Clinical Oncologist and Consultant Radiation therapist at Apeksha Hospital, Maharagama said that people working on high tension wires have higher incidence of brain cancer. “Radio, TV signals, radars and satellites don’t have sufficient radiation. For instance, a microwave oven is very well protected and cordless phones too don’t emit electromagnetic frequency radiation (EMF). But cellular towers emit EMF radiation and the intensity of radiation varies at different times of the day.

But there’s no evidence to prove that those living or working on cellular towers have cancers. Most radiation has to reach the DNA and break it in order to form a cancer. Ionizing radiation emitted from ultraviolet rays, X-rays can cause cancer.

When developing a cancer we talk about probable, possible and definite risks. Earlier there were mobile phones with unprotected antennas and these were very dangerous. They can literally cook your brain due to the heat produced by EMF radiation.

Then cellular phone antennas were covered and now we have cellphones with no antennas. Then there’s the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) which is the amount of radiofrequency (RF) waves absorbed by the user’s body. Usually this value is below the acceptable limit. Then again users have been advised to use the speakers or headphones and keep the cellphone away as much as possible.”

Cellular towers emit EMF radiation and the intensity of radiation varies at different times of the day

 

Guidelines issued by TRC

According to Guidelines on Antenna Structures issued by the TRC, the following need to be observed : 

Antenna Structures of height more than 30m ground-based and the total height more than 30 m on rooftop, excluding 5m poles shall be used on a shared basis. 

The Antenna Structure Farm (ASF) should be confined to a maximum radius of 250m. The distance between any two ASFs will be kept at a minimum separation of 4km. 

Due to the propagation limitations in high frequency bands such as 1800MHz and 2 GHz and also to promote Broadband deployments throughout the country, telecommunications service providers are permitted to erect ground-based antenna structures with height not exceeding 30m and rooftop antenna structures with total height not exceeding 30m in between the ASFs. 

Cumulative radio frequency power density due to ASFs should be within the limits defined by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).

Base Station equipment shall comply with Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) standards (IEC 61000).

Repeated attempts to contact the current Director General of TRC P.R.S.P Jayatilake proved futile.


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