Millimeter waves: uncertain need and risk
by Pascal Sigg, infosperber.ch, March 8, 2024 - Translation DeepL
Will adaptive antennas soon be able to use higher frequencies in Switzerland? Antenna in the canton of Zurich © SRF Kassensturz
New business, better Internet coverage in the countryside and more money in the state coffers. These are the reasons why the Federal Council wants to allocate new high frequencies for mobile telephony in the 6 GHz, 26 GHz and 40 GHz bands - known as millimeter waves. These frequencies would enable the introduction of 5G technology in our country. At present, this technology only operates in Switzerland on a maximum of 3.5 GHz.
As with the allocation of the first 5G frequencies four years ago, the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) recently organized a public consultation procedure. This time, however, the only focus was on the needs of potential operators and users.
Physicians' organization raises warning
This is one of the reasons why Doctors for the Environment (AefU) have sent a detailed statement to OFCOM: "We are very concerned about the use of millimeter waves for large-scale communication purposes", writes the association. The doctors' organization has been investigating the health risks associated with cell phone radiation since 1998.
Millimeter waves have a different effect on the human body than low-frequency radiation. However, we don't know exactly how. One hypothesis is that they are absorbed at the surface of the skin. As a result, the skin heats up more. The consequences of this phenomenon and the appearance of other effects in addition to heat production are very unclear.
Expensive research has only just begun
The corresponding scientific studies are simply lacking. The Berenis expert group wrote in a special newsletter in July 2020: "With regard to the planned increasing use of the frequency range above 6 GHz for mobile communication, there are currently few scientific studies available. It is therefore difficult to comment on possible health effects in this frequency range".
The Federal Council is well aware of this, not least because the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) only commissioned research projects last year. Duration: ten years in two stages. A project description from Lausanne University Hospital states: "The effect of millimeter waves on the skin is not yet clear, but there are indications of changes in cell functionality under the effect of non-ionizing radiation".
Federal Council to adapt ordinance prior to frequency allocation
Four years ago, the cantons of Geneva, Neuchâtel and Jura launched cantonal initiatives calling for a moratorium on the deployment of the 5G millimeter-wave network in Switzerland "in order to protect democracy and affirm the precautionary principle".
They failed in Parliament. But the Federal Council then had to submit a report on millimeter waves, published a few months ago. The main thrust of the report is that, this time, things must be done by the book. This time, the Federal Council wants to adapt the "environmental framework conditions" before allocating frequencies for use. It also wants to make sure that measurement regulations are respected. In both cases, this simply means that the Federal Council must first adapt the Ordinance on Protection against Non-Ionizing Radiation (ORNI).
Federal Council report leaves important questions unanswered
The report does not specify the importance of reliable knowledge on the effects of high-frequency radiation - the central issue of the mandate. It merely states that the FOEN can propose to the Federal Council measures to amend ORNI if research results show that action is needed in this area. The Federal Council is free to decide to what extent it wishes to take these measures into account.
To date, the Federal Council has relied on the calculation methods of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). These are based on hypotheses, and focus solely on temperature changes at the skin's surface. The millimeter-wave report does not go into detail on this subject.
The skin model is decisive for calculating limit values
However, limit values are decisive for the acceptance of 5G expansion. Parliament has only approved the rapid expansion of 5G on condition that the limit values are not relaxed. The FOEN's important 2019 report on mobile telephony and radiation is more specific and shows how little is known about the absorption of radiation by the skin.
A study on the absorption capacity of sweat glands suggested the inadequacy of the models used. The skin model used would therefore be decisive for calculating millimeter-wave limit values. "A representation as close as possible to the reality of the skin with its layers is essential, because well-resolved skin models show other induced electric field intensities than the homogeneous monolayer and multilayer models, as they are often used". But here again, studies are lacking. The skin is a complex organ. Possible effects would therefore have potentially far-reaching consequences for the organism.
What does the Federal Council think of the precautionary principle?
This is another reason why the FOEN's Berenis expert group continued to call, in its position paper on the new ICNIRP guidelines, for consistent application of the precautionary principle - and therefore for lower limit values than those set by the ICNIRP. This should also be taken into account when calculating limit values for millimeter waves.
However, when it comes to limit values, the Federal Council has recently cheated at the limits of its competence. With the so-called correction factor, it authorizes suppliers to exceed the precautionary limit value from time to time. The Federal Court must now clarify to what extent this is compatible with the precautionary principle of the Environmental Protection Act.
Gigabit goals may require millimetre waves
The Confederation's objectives call for the rapid allocation of higher frequencies. This is also because the Federal Council has postponed the development of fiber optics indefinitely. A recent survey by SRF's business program Trend showed that rural areas in Switzerland, in particular, are much less well served by the Internet than is generally thought. This is why the first communities are now building their own fiber-optic lines. One important reason: Swisscom's supply mandate is weak.
By 2033, the Federal Council therefore wants to set up an incentive program to ensure that all businesses and households are served by bandwidths of at least 1 gigabit. This is what it wrote in a report published a few months ago on its ultra-fast broadband strategy. Priority is given to fiber-optic lines, but cell phone networks could also be used. It is also to be expected that higher frequencies will be made available over the years.
Need still uncertain
But it's not certain that they will be needed so soon. Indeed, the Federal Council's gigabit target is not based on actual need, but on assumptions about the future. The report also states verbatim that in mobile telephony, "high bandwidths are actually needed today for few services and users".
For millimeter waves, the higher the radiation frequency, the worse the propagation properties. In the aforementioned 2019 report on mobile telephony and radiation, we read: "Depending on the frequency, the reasonable coverage distance may be only a few meters. What's more, these frequencies in most cases require a visual link between transmitter and receiver. This is feasible, for example, for spectators at a soccer match in a stadium".
Other possible applications include broadband coverage of isolated buildings, capacity coverage in small high-use areas (main railway station, shopping mall, stadium) or campus coverage in industrial halls.
More frequency bands should bring in more money
In addition to potential demand, the pressure for the rapid allocation of higher frequencies also has an indirect effect. The Federal Council intends to allocate the gigabit promotion program from the proceeds of forthcoming cell phone license auctions. The next allocation round is already scheduled for three years from now.
Clearly, other frequencies should generate more money. However, Parliament had other plans in this area. In 2019, it immediately adopted a motion by former Socialist National Councillor Edith Graf-Litscher. She called for more money for research into the health risks associated with cell phone radiation. The money was to come from the proceeds of the license auction. But even then, the money was not used for this purpose, against the will of Parliament.
ComCom wants to promote the economy and change society
Only the Federal Council can release frequencies. Before (needs assessment) and after (license auction), the Federal Communications Commission (ComCom) intervenes. And ComCom can hardly wait.
A year ago, Adrienne Corboud Fumagalli, then president of ComCom, openly described the ultra-fast broadband strategy as an economic promotion measure. ComCom would have liked to be more than just a regulator, but also to shape the digital future. "Thanks to its key role in frequency allocation, it can actively contribute to social change and the emergence of a gigabit society in Switzerland".
AefU call for neutral assessment of health risks and technology
Physicians for the Environment, on the other hand, believe that Switzerland is not yet ready for the gigabit society. They believe that "millimeter waves for communication use should only be authorized when a reliable risk assessment is possible. To do this, we need to wait for the results of current studies and assess them from a global perspective".
They also call for an independent technical assessment. "It should clarify how millimeter waves are to be used in communication services, what infrastructure is required for this purpose and how protection and utilization interests, including energy issues, can be taken into account."
Original article in German:
https://www.infosperber.ch/politik/schweiz/millimeterwellen-bedarf-und-risiko-ungewiss/
French translation:
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