KOTA KINABALU: Lim Kat Chung, Luyang Community Development Officer welcomed the city hall’s plan to set up the first 5G telecommunications tower (or smart pole) in Kota Kinabalu in Taman Jindo, Luyang, and believes that this will allow residents to be the first batch to enjoy safer and faster network services.
He said many people mistakenly believe that “the faster the network speed, the higher emission of radiation” of the telecommunications tower; In fact, the wattage of 5G telecommunication towers is much lower than that of 4G.
Lim, quoting an International Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) report, said the signals emitted by 5G telecommunication towers compulsorily to be non-ionizing radiation (low frequency, low energy, long wavelength).
“We can operate 5G infrastructure without any risk to health, although the media may suggest otherwise, the science is very clear on this point,” he said, citing Rodney Croft, an adviser to the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).
“From 2G base stations to 5G base stations, the radiation is actually getting lower. Taking China Mobile as an example, during the 4G era, the power of large base stations is about 40 watts. The power of small base stations is 20 watts. By using 5G technology, the power of micro base stations is only 10 watts, and the power of pico base stations is even as low as 250 milliwatts, which is lower than that of household light bulbs (15 watts to 40 watts).”
He added that the confusion arises because the words “radiation” and “radioactivity”, which involve element decay, have been conflated. In fact, radiation is not necessarily radioactive, and non-ionizing radiation is harmless to humans.
*Tower construction hiccups shall not be the reason to reject 5G*
Lim, who is also an SAPP supreme councillor, criticised the public statement made by Phoong Jin Zhe rejecting the installation of the 5G telecommunication tower project in Taman Jindo.
“He (Phoong) didn’t do his due diligence. Maybe he was too lazy to even call the mayor to seek confirmation, but prefer to spend his time on making announcements in the social media. If he didn’t even know the purpose and function of the telecommunication tower, how could he convey correct information to the voters in the constituency?”
“It was not the first time Phoong made such false accusation but on few other issues which I think he only knew little about,” he opined.
Lim said the 5G tower project has already been confirmed. Unfortunately, the contractor should not have started the works before documentation has been completed. Temporary setback technically should not be the reason to reject 5G development in Luyang.
