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Wuhan is where 5G was rolled out first.
Wuhan was one of the first places with 5G trials, as well as several other large Chinese cities, like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou but we don’t know if it was the first.
5G wrecks immune systems and that is why people in Wuhan are suffering with this illness.
There is no evidence that 5G can harm humans, or their immune systems.
The Wuhan coronavirus is a more virulent version of the normal cold.
The new coronavirus observed in Wuhan is a virus in the same family of viruses as the common cold, but is a different illness.
A post on Facebook claims that Wuhan, China, the centre of the new coronavirus outbreak, was where 5G was first rolled out. It suggests that 5G has damaged peoples’ immune systems and so boosted the virulence of the common cold.
The main implication of the claim—that 5G can impact immune systems—is totally unfounded. There is no evidence linking the new coronavirus to 5G.
It’s true that Wuhan does have some 5G coverage. The local government listed a number of venues with 5G coverage in August 2019. We can’t find evidence it was the very first city with 5G but we’ve seen reports saying Wuhan was one of several Chinese cities where early 5G trials took place. Another said Wuhan was “one of the first pilot cities of the 5G network in China”.
In October 2019, China’s three state telecoms companies announced they would be rolling out phone services that use 5G, and that big cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hangzhou were already covered by the network.
As we’ve written about before, there is no evidence that 5G is harmful to humans. 5G is the next generation of wireless network technology, following on from 4G. Like 4G, 3G and 2G before it, 5G mobile data is transmitted over radio waves—a small part of the whole electromagnetic spectrum (which includes microwaves, visible light and X-rays).
These radio waves are non-ionising, meaning they don’t damage the DNA inside cells, as X-rays, gamma rays and UV rays are able to do. 5G, although at slightly higher frequencies than previous networks, is still in this radio part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Public Health England has said that there’s no “convincing evidence” that exposure below International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation guidelines can cause adverse health effects. These guidelines go up to 300GHz, whereas the maximum for 5G will probably only be in the tens of GHz.
There is no evidence that 5G can damage the immune system.
As for the claim that the new coronavirus observed in Wuhan is the “normal cold” with boosted virulence—that is simply not the case.
As we’ve discussed in other fact checks, although the new coronavirus spreading in Wuhan has commonly been referred to by the media and others as just “coronavirus”, it is just one type within this family of viruses.
Coronavirus is a broad category of viruses which includes the common cold, SARS (the severe acute respiratory syndrome of which there were outbreaks in 2002 and 2004) and this new coronavirus identified in people in Wuhan.
Published Wed, Jan 19 2022 7:00 AM ESTUpdated Wed, Jan 19 2022 3:16 PM EST
- Verizon and AT&T turned on a major new part of their 5G networks Wednesday.
- The networks use wavelengths called C-band to cover a large part of the country with wireless service that should be noticeably faster than current 4G service.
- People with compatible phones could see the network symbol at the top of their smartphone screen change Wednesday and access peak download speeds 10 times faster than an LTE network.
Workers install equipment on a 5G cell tower in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S., on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022.
George Frey | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Verizon and AT&T turned on a major new part of their 5G networks Wednesday, the culmination of a yearslong process that saw both carriers invest billions in spectrum and equipment to upgrade their networks.
The networks that lit up on Wednesday are using wavelengths called C-band to cover a large part of the country with wireless service that should be noticeably faster than current 4G service.
Verizon says 90 million people will get access to the new 5G service this month in major cities including New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. AT&T said it plans to cover as many as 75 million people with its C-band network by the end of the year.
The rollout brings to fruition major 5G investments from both carriers. Verizon spent $45.5 billion in a government auction last year to secure the rights to the wavelengths it's using for its network. AT&T spent more than $23 billion. The carriers have since spent additional billions to actually build the networks and install equipment on cell towers.
"We've invested — just to get the spectrum, some $40-odd billion. And then we've also had to kick money into the kitty to help clear the spectrum. So you know, we're looking upward of $53 billion," Verizon CTO Kyle Malady told CNBC. Verizon will spend $10 billion over the next three years to continue building its network, he said.
Some forms of 5G were already available to wireless subscribers in the U.S.
Verizon and AT&T already offer two classes of service they market as 5G. Low-band service covers large areas, but only at about the same speeds as before, while millimeter-wave service offers much higher speeds, but only over small areas, such as street corners or sports stadiums.
T-Mobile, the third major carrier, has offered "mid-band" 5G since 2020 using different spectrum on the 2.5GHz band it acquired when it bought Sprint. T-Mobile says its network covers 186 million people in the U.S.
But the C-band networks going online Wednesday are different. They use newly available wavelengths, between 3.7 and 3.98GHz, that are capable of both traveling long distances and carrying enough data to deliver faster internet connections.
The unique properties of these wavelengths led to their substantial price at auction, and they were often called the "Goldilocks band" in the industry because they are perfectly situated for 5G services.
"It's excellent right down the middle. You have a great amount of bandwidth, it propagates well and it goes through buildings," Malady said. "I give credit to the U.S. government, they put a lot of spectrum up for auction. This rarely comes along. And that's why we were so aggressive in the auction to get this."
The C-band networks were supposed to be turned on in December, but the rollout was delayed twice because of Federal Aviation Administration concerns that their wavelengths could interfere with tools pilots use to land safely.
Verizon and AT&T both said on Tuesday that they would delay launching the service near airports while the issues are resolved, but that their new networks would be turned on everywhere else.
"We are frustrated by the FAA's inability to do what nearly 40 countries have done, which is to safely deploy 5G technology without disrupting aviation services, and we urge it do so in a timely manner," an AT&T spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday.
Now Verizon and AT&T will need to show that these investments can pay off in the form of better wireless service to encourage customers to opt for more expensive 5G plans and open new markets, such as households replacing cable internet access.
"Where's the return on 5G investment?" asked Credit Suisse analysts last October. "The generational change from 4G to 5G has led to more capable wireless networks, but the benefits to operators seem less than hoped (and less than hyped.)"
"While 5G defensively helps networks keep up with traffic and consumer expectations, it is not the factor pulling consumers up operators' tier lineup," Credit Suisse analyst Douglas Mitchelson wrote.
Verizon announced earlier this month new plans that include 5G service with unlimited data. AT&T unlimited plans also include access to 5G service.
Malady said that Verizon's rollout could take as long as 12 hours as the network lights up from the East Coast to the West Coast.
People with compatible phones could see the network symbol at the top of their smartphone screen change Wednesday and access peak download speeds 10 times faster than an LTE network, according to the carriers.
For Verizon subscribers connecting to the new network, they will see "5Guw," for 5G ultra-wideband. AT&T subscribers will see "5G+."
Phones that can support the new network include Apple's iPhone 12 and iPhone 13, and newer Samsung Galaxy phones. Google's Pixel 6 will gain certification soon, a Verizon representative told CNBC after publication. Users will also need to be on a plan that includes 5G service.
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