5G and Coronavirus have been trending in the last few days, with social media outlets rife with conspiracy theories about a possible connection between the novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the fifth generation of mobile communication systems (5G). To curtail the spread of misinformation and its potential to cause public harm, the record needs to be set straight. For the avoidance of doubt, there is no known correlation between COVID-19 and 5G. 

For starters, COVID-19 is not airborne. Instead, experts believe it is transmitted through droplets – from saliva, coughing or sneezing. A Nature article published on April 2 shows that there is a school of thought that believes that the virus can be transported by aerosols , which are much tinier particles arising from exhaled air, potentially making COVID-19 airborne. The jury is still out on a consensus regarding the strength of the evidence to support airborne transmission, as they evaluate the infection among healthcare professionals who are most at risk of such airborne transmissions. Notice that the debate here is whether an infected person is able to transmit the disease through exhalation, NOT if the disease emanates from an external inorganic source such as a radio frequency transmitter.

So if 5G does not cause COVID-19, what causes it? Well, the WHO believes that the virus originated from a seafood market in Wuhan, China, where it was first reported. This follows genome sequencing of the COVID-19 virus which showed a 96% match with the coronavirus caused by bats. The seafood market in Wuhan is known to trade illegally in wild animals, including rabbits, bats and snakes. The WHO has declared the novel Coronavirus a pandemic since 11th March and several countries around the world have been locked down to curb the spread of the outbreak. Note that COVID-19 is not the only known coronavirus, but rather comes from a family of coronaviruses that are known to cause respiratory infections, including the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). This is all I have to say about the provenance of the novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, as there are a plethora of reliable sources for more information and the world is still trying to understand the virus.

The Hysteria around 5G

Before the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, there has been much excitement surrounding 5G. There was fear too, leading to several conspiracy theories regarding the health impact of the new technology. Some believe that it can damage DNA and cause cancer, kill animals, disrupt wildlife or is a weapon. Many of the theories are laughable, but to dispel concerns around 5G, here are a few things you need to know about 5G. For the record, there are no known health issues related to 5G operating within the safety limits set by each country. Any dangers that 5G may portend will also be present in 4G and the other previous generations of mobile standards. In fact, the 5G systems being rolled out across the world all operate below 6 GHz. To put this into perspective, most of them operate at frequencies lower than your WiFi router at home, though at higher power levels than your home Internet.

To begin with, 5G frequencies cannot cause cancer. This is because the suite of frequencies used in 5G emit radiations (radio frequency energy) that are non-ionising. This means that they do not have enough energy to cause changes to DNA (they are non-genotoxic) or strip electrons from atoms. Ionising radiations have enough energy to break chemical bonds, thus, they can charge or ionise atoms they come in contact with. The energies of ionising radiations are high enough to strip electrons from atoms or damage DNA in tissues, which is why gamma radiation is used in chemotherapy to kill cancer cells. Non-ionising radiations are found in the lower end of the electromagnetic spectrum and cover frequencies below the ultraviolet region of the spectrum (several THz). All radio frequencies are non-ionising, including those used in 5G. However, all electromagnetic frequencies, including extremely low frequencies (ELF) given off by power lines and electrical equipment, are potentially harmful, depending on the radiated amount and duration of exposure to the radiation. Prolonged exposure to electromagnetic radiation at high powers can cause burns, heatstroke or tissue damage (due to heating), even for RF frequencies (below 300 GHz). Some other possible effects of radiations are non-biological, such as causing interference with pacemakers, hearing aids, etc.

While fears around new technologies are not new (similar conspiracy theories surrounded the launch of every generation of mobile communication system), the suspicion reached a new crescendo with 5G due to the move towards ever higher frequencies, especially with the ratification of the millimeter wave frequencies (beyond 30 GHz) by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for use in 5G. The ITU is an agency of the United Nations responsible for developing technical standards for telecommunication (the entire ICT industry as a matter of fact). The body specifies the following spectrum bands for 5G: sub-1 GHz (700 MHz band), 1-6 GHz (mostly 3.5 GHz band) and above 6 GHz (26 GHz, 32 GHz, 66 GHz bands, etc).

At present, all the 5G systems being deployed around the globe operate under 6 GHz. In fact, most countries haven’t even auctioned any frequency bands above 6 GHz. While the US netted over $4 billion last month from the sale of some mm-wave spectrums, the UK will later this month auction spectrums in the 700 MHz and 3.5 GHz bands for 5G. No announcement has been made regarding when they will open the high-capacity mm-wave bands for auction. Nigeria has not sold any 5G spectrums. Though future developments will surely use the mm-wave frequencies, present deployments are still at the sub-6 GHz frequencies that have been in our daily use for decades. If 5G as currently deployed causes coronavirus, then we would have had the virus with us for years because we have been using these same frequencies for decades. Remember again that if COVID-19 were airborne over wireless radio frequencies, we would all have been infected by now.

To return to the potential harmful effects of 5G other than COVID-19, the frequencies people are worried about are the mm-wave frequencies – most paranoia surrounding 5G have focused on the 26 GHz or the 60 GHz bands. However, as pointed out already, even these frequencies produce non-ionising radiation so they cannot cause mutation of DNA cells or give cancer. Moreover, higher frequencies have less penetration powers, so they are not able to penetrate the body but are instead reflected (some will inevitably be absorbed, causing heating). A key component of 5G structure relies on this reflection at surfaces to provide coverage to ‘shadow zones’ that have no line of sight connection to the base station. Moreover, most mm-wave bands are envisaged for industrial 5G due to their much higher bandwidths (which will enable safety-critical applications) rather than for mobile use (you don’t necessarily need several Gbps speed for your mobile phone) because they travel only short distances. This may change in the future as the newly licensed spectrum becomes crowded or other needs arise.

An inverse relationship exists between frequency and coverage (range); the higher the frequency, the smaller the coverage area. However, the higher the frequency used, the more data you can carry (higher data rates). Thus, higher frequencies provide faster download speeds but travel shorter distances. As a result, the 700 MHz band will provide a very wide coverage, the 3.5 GHz band provides a compromise between data capacity and coverage whereas frequencies above 6 GHz have been dubbed the ‘super data layer’ that can deliver gigabit per second speeds. In Europe, the 26 GHz band (24.25-27.5 GHz) has been harmonised for use above 6 GHz for 5G. Having a smaller coverage area implies that many more 5G transmitters are required to keep everyone connected compared to 4G or other lower generations.

A concern I have seen raised by many is that the dense deployment of 5G antennas will put their health at risk. Remember that the much higher frequency mm-wave bands do not travel far. To ensure adequate coverage, base stations will need to be installed at much closer distances, referred to as network densification in network-speak. And since the base stations are very small, they can be installed on just about anything – lamp posts, traffic lights, etc – instead of towers and rooftops, hence, bringing the transmitters ever closer to people and their dwellings. But that is also an advantage; since the transmitter is close to the user, it requires only a very small power to reach him. The transmission power will be lowered to the minimum level required to serve users within a given coverage area. This is one of the techniques that makes 5G more energy-efficient than previous Gs of mobile systems. To address concerns surrounding network base station densification, I refer the reader to the regulatory bodies and independent watchdogs operating at different levels. Regulators (NCC in Nigeria, FCC in the US, OfCom in the UK, etc) at the international level and in each country set standards for exposure levels considered safe for public health. You can check these standards in your country. In many countries, it is possible to check the operating frequency and transmission power of base stations within your postcode (OfCom provides this service in the UK). You can also buy an EMF meter or handheld spectrum analyser to check this if you don’t trust the government or other independent bodies.

The International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP – icnirp.org) is an independent charity that provides factual information based on research about the potential dangers of electromagnetic radiation to health. They publish safe RF exposure limits for all radio frequencies. In addition, IEEE which is the largest professional engineering body in the world publishes RF safety limits from 0 Hz to 300 GHz through its IEEE International Committee on Electromagnetic Safety (ICES), including “the potential hazards of exposure of humans, volatile materials, and explosive devices to such energy”. Both the ICNIRP and ICES guidelines were updated in 2019, setting the limits of exposure to frequencies above 6 GHz even lower than previously outlined.

5G offers 3 promises; enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communications (mMTC) and ultra-reliable and low latency communications (URLLC). Current 5G services can only achieve the first promise which is related to being able to access higher download and upload speeds almost anywhere. mMTC is what is required to achieve the potentials of the Internet of Things (IoT) by providing coverage to billions of devices. URLLC relates to reliability and latency, two key components of safety-critical systems. When you hear URLLC, think of driverless cars; the latency needs to be exceptionally low because you want the car to receive instructions you send to it before it gets in an accident. Also, think of remote surgery – you surely do not want a patchy or sporadic network when life is at stake and a few milliseconds could make all the difference. Future deployments will unlock the true potentials of 5G through mMTC and URLLC. For now, the delay (latency) and reliability are not good enough for use in safety-critical systems.

You can find out more from the websites of the 3GPPP which develop protocols for these standards or from the bodies referred to in the article.

The coming of COVID-19 into Nigeria exposed many challenges faced by Nigerian health sector – the shortage of ventilators and possible mismanagement of funds. People couldn’t contain their disappointment when rumours spread that State House Clinic has no ventilator and that they had to move one of the two functioning ventilators in University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada to Aso Rock Clinic when the president’s chief of staff became ill with COVID-19 (they didn’t consider that people were using those ventilators). What everyone asked then was why such equipment wasn’t in the villa clinic despite the fact that billions of naira are allocated to it yearly.

It is quite unfortunate that Nigerian tertiary hospitals, where very critical medical cases are referred to, could not boast of owning plenty of ventilators. It shows that people with critical respiratory problems will have no help with managing their breathing difficulties. It shows why people die despite being in hospitals where consultants could handle their cases. It was indeed a mess for the whole country.

Unfortunately for Nigeria and Nigerians, the urgent need for ventilators came when the country was seeking for financial help and could, therefore, not afford to procure as many ventilators as it’s needed to combat this disease. The situation was so bad to the extent that Nigerian Ministry of Finance had to stoop so low to “beg” for ventilators from an American billionaire, Elon Musk, during his Twitter Ventilators Give-Away. Even though the ministry came back later to state that the “begging” was unauthorised, the breeze has already blown and everyone has seen the fowl’s buttock. Nigeria is in a dire need for ventilators and she cannot afford to procure them now.

But this is not the time for apportioning blames. In fact, everyone should come together to find a way out of this mess. So it was indeed a great relief, and an act worthy of great honour when the Faculty of Engineering, Bayero University Kano (BUK), set-up a 7-man committee to design and fabricate prototype ventilators. This committee, chaired by Prof. Abdussamad Umar Jibia from the Dept. of Mechatronics Engineering, has 2 weeks to report back to the Faculty Board with the prototype design as well as recommendations on how the ventilators could be mass produced.

This is a welcoming development; in fact it is what the numerous research centres in our universities should be investing in right now. It is time for our professors to come out with their “handouts” and put to test what they have been teaching in classes. It is time to practice what has been theorised on for a long time. But then, there is something everyone is waiting to hear from BUK – how it intends to FUND the project.

It is known that ventilators are not cheap to procure. This is why all the countries of the world are in shortage of the life-saving machine. Yes, Nigeria is not the only country in need of the machine; it’s just that ours is very pathetic. But one way or the other, ventilators must be brought in for the sick.

Prior to the announcement made by BUK about their intention to fabricate ventilators, Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company has declared its intention to manufacture ventilators. Premium Times on Saturday 4th April, 2020, stated the Innoson Motors already had plans on ground to fabricate hundreds of ventilators within the next 90 days, but they lack enough funds to do so. For that, the management sorted for N4b loan from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which they applied for through the presidential taskforce and a private bank. No one knows whether this loan application has been granted but it calls to mind the fact that BUK may not have the capability to fund the manufacturing of enough ventilators.

It is worrisome that the good intentions of these Nigerians may be frustrated by lack of funds. The thought of money being the reason for the death of many Nigerians during this COVID-19 epidemic leaves bitter taste in one’s mouth. It is more appalling when one remembers that the federal government has been sourcing for loans and that the price of crude oil falls by the day. This calls for only one option for the funding of this project – private donations and grants.

The drama surrounding donations by private individuals and corporate organisations towards the coronavirus containment is still worrisome, especially as Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture, stated that the presidential taskforce on COVID-19 has not received “any kobo” from any private individual or organisations. But this will obviously be sorted out when these individuals and organisations know where their money is going into.

This is therefore a call to the FG, private individuals, corporate organisations and other humanitarian organisations to support the fabrication of ventilators in Nigeria so that the country will register few casualties as the battle with this deadly illness lasts. Other university authorities and machine manufacturers should also come out and lend their quota towards this battle. Hopefully, if these ventilator fabricators are supported duly, the machine will be available in our hospitals in no time.

I have been inundated with complaints from various people on the health hazards of electromagnetic (EM) radiation from 5G networks. Several videos are circulating on social media platforms about the potential health hazards of electromagnetic radiation from 5G networks. I have written about this topic in the past but feel obliged to write about it again, in simpler terms.

In communication networks, there are two modes, the uplink and the downlink. The uplink, as the name implies, describes the communication path that allows your mobile phone’s antenna to communicate with a base station antenna, as depicted in figure 1 below, whereas the downlink represents the communication path through which the base station antenna communicates with your mobile phone.

 Fig1. Uplink (the featured image above)

Fig2: Schematic showing uplink and downlink modes

As depicted in figure 2, during the uplink, your mobile phone acts as the transmitter whereas the base station antenna serves as the transmitter, for the downlink.

The videos being circulated online expressed concerns about the EM radiation from 5G networks. This represents the downlink part of the communication system. Base stations are antennas that radiate energy in specific (or certain) directions. There are low levels of radiation exposure that are considered less harmful/safe for humans. Now, there will always be radiation exposure from antennas, what matters is if the radiation exposure is less harmful for humans? The World Health Organization (WHO) and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have endorsed the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) to develop the international electromagnetic radiation exposure guidelines. These guidelines define the maximum exposure for people exposed to electromagnetic radiation up to 300 GHz; these guidelines are strictly adhered to by member countries, when deploying base station antennas. Please check the ICNIRP website for those interested in the details of the guidelines.

The uplink part (see Figure 1) is usually often neglected by mobile phone users’ but it is actually the most dangerous part of the communication modes because the phone is very close to the body (as shown in figure 1). As I mentioned previously, all antennas radiate energy; including your mobile phone’s antenna. Your mobile phone’s antenna serves as the transmitter during the uplink and radiates energy which is easily absorbed by your body (or head) because of the close proximity between your mobile device and the head (as shown in Figure 1). This is one of the reasons why researchers recommend the use of earphones during mobile phone conversation to reduce exposure.

Now, the videos being circulated online should be scientifically investigated by the relevant authorities. If the radiation exposure from any base station antenna is above the ICNIRP guidelines, such base station antenna ought to be removed. But it is important that these issues are reported to the relevant authorities and communication engineers are allowed to investigate these claims, by carrying out radiation tests rather than accepting the claims made within these videos without determining the authenticity of such claims. GSMA, in this link, had also addressed this issue.

Note: there are various ways of reducing EM radiation e.g. reducing power of the antenna, adaptive beam-forming etc.