The future of man is inseparable from communication and interconnectedness, which, in turn, depends on the advancement of technology and the way we use it. The new 5G technology standard has already been implemented in many parts of the world, promising a faster and more stable connection than ever before. At the same time, the debate over the application of 5G technology, its implementation and regulation is expanding, and questions about privacy and security are raised as well.

To get the whole picture, we need to answer the key questions, to clarify controversies over 5G, and in order to do so it is primarily necessary to know things.

5G is a fifth-generation technology standard for mobile communication, which gets its name as a successor of its predecessors: 1G, 2G, 3G and 4G. In fact, each of these technological standards at the given time revolutionized the mobile network - 1G in the 1980s introduced analogue voice transmission over mobile devices, and thirty years later 4G brought us a surge of new functionalities ranging from faster data transfer to connectivity with the surrounding devices. The beginning of 2020s will mark the new 5G standard, which will offer rates 10 times faster than 4G, and much more than that. In its ultimate form and utmost functionality, 5G technology could be applied to improve human life and its interaction with the environment. It also envisages combining the physical, digital and biological world, which will bring artificial intelligence, virtual reality, robotics... With the new technology, autonomous vehicles, smart cities, remote surgeries and diagnostics, machines that operate other machines, connected drones will become a reality... Or, simply put, the world we live in will change completely.

How will the 5G standard be implemented in our country?

The implementation of 5G will be done as an upgrade to the 4G standard, by upgrading or changing the legacy equipment and setting up appropriate infrastructure to transmit signals for data transfer. More specifically, in our country, Makedonski Telekom made initial testing and the results showed that the 5G test network is up to 10 times faster than 4 G.

Regulations on 5G network security and safety

The more you search the Internet on the topic, the higher your chances of finding a million questions about the effects of the 5G network. The World Health Organization (WHO) issued an official statement in early 2020 stating that no health changes or effects had been observed in humans after testing the 5G network.

"To date, no adverse health effects or changes have been causally linked with exposure to radio signals emitted by the 5G network. If all countries adhere to international measures and recommendations we can proclaim the 5G network as perfectly safe for the people and the environment" reads the position of the WHO.

The maximum exposure limits for non-ionizing radiation are defined by ICNIRP (International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection) and their recommendations are adopted by the national regulators, as is the case with the Republic of Macedonia. In accordance with the existing legislation, the Agency for Electronic Communications performs measurements of the levels of non-ionizing radiation from all operators. The latest recommendations which include higher frequencies of > 6GHz that can be used for 5G technology in the future, were released in March 2020.

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