5G is almost here and wireless communication is about to take a giant leap forward. The new technology:

• Is 100 times faster than 4G and can transfer huge amounts of data.


• Lowers lag time from 50 milliseconds to one, virtually eliminating it.


• Provides a higher user capacity. It is estimated that there will be 24 billion Internet devices by 2020.

While the benefits are clear, there are some serious concerns:

People Will Become Secondary Users – Until now, wireless communication was created for humans. 5G's primary function is to help machines like self-driving cars communicate with each other. That's a real game changer.

A Tower on Every Block – The upgrade will require millions of mini cell towers across the country. Citizens may be required to install them on their private property. Imagine seeing these transmitters every 500 feet in our cities, neighborhoods, parks, etc.

Health Issues – If towns become saturated with these towers, radiofrequency (RF) waves would surround us 24/7. Some studies have shown that high exposure to RF radiation has been linked to tumor activity and compromised immune systems in animals.

Cyber Security – Companies that produce the 5G infrastructure could potentially create backdoors that would allow access to critical and sensitive information.