THE representative body for Australia's mobile telecommunications industry is confident the future roll-out of the 5G network will not pose a threat to human health.
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In recent months, councillor Alex Christian has raised concerns cover the impact the network could have on human health and the environment, given that 5G requires more infrastructure and operates at much higher frequencies.
Cr Christian has requested that Bathurst Regional Council seek more information about the technology before it reaches the regional city. Council plans to have an expert speaker address staff.
Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) CEO Chris Althaus, however, said there is no need for people to be alarmed and the telecommunications industry itself holds no safety concerns.
"We rely on the health agencies, both globally and nationally, for advice on this because they are the experts," he said.
"What's happened over the last 30 years is there has been an enormous amount of research done into any causal link between mobile usage and the impact on human health. The reality is they haven't been able to find a link."
Mr Althaus said that radiowaves that support mobile were in a certain frequency, just like other technology such as microwaves, televisions and baby monitors.
"All of those frequencies are what's called non-ionising radition, which is regarded as not harmful to human health, which is why we are able to use it so widely," he explained.
"If you look back in history, we've had radio frequencies being used in our environment for a great many decades, long before the invention of the mobile phone, and of course the human health impacts are just not evident."
The roll-out and adoption of 5G is expected to have a huge impact on people's lives, providing a faster and more accessible network.
If communities didn't embrace the new technology, Mr Althaus feared they would be left behind.
"Ultimately communities will be the loser. As governments and industries look for efficient ways of doing things, they will increasingly rely on connectivity," he said.
"If that connectivity does not exist, then those applications and services simply won't be available in that area.
"It would be a crying shame for people to reject 5G on health grounds, because 5G is using radiowaves just like 4G, just like television and radio."
Mr Althaus acknowledged that the frequency used by 5G would be significantly higher than its predecessors, but said that higher frequency doesn't equate to higher power.
