WHO IS BEHIND 5G?

How often do you think about what technology offers us? How can this be applicable in our life? Less than 10 years have passed since the 4th generation of mobile communications appeared and was introduced everywhere and now, in 2020, we are on the verge of “discovery” again - the fifth element, the fifth generation of the network with the highest bandwidth.

What is 5G in fact? What will it bring to the user and how change the world? And does humanity really need this technology?

We live in a great time. Over the past 75 years, mankind has managed to achieve incredible results, all thanks to the technological revolution, which entailed the scientific and technological progress that occurred in the 40-50s of the twentieth century.

After the end of World War II, humanity began to work to restore the ruined world. The technological revolution (and subsequently progress) is directly related to the emergence of the “consumer society”, and, starting in the 1970s, the “information society”. Science has finally come to the service of human society. The first vivid examples of scientific and technological progress are space exploration, starting in 1957 with the launch of the world's first satellite (USSR) - until 1969, the first manned flight to the moon (USA).

Since the 1970s, electronics and computerization have developed at an accelerated pace. All the achievements of science were somehow refined and served man. That "revolutionary base" of 1950-1970s, which was truly a breakthrough, began to be used to improve and develop the new. Thus, from primitive huge mobile phones of the beginning of the new millennium, the world has come to almost invisible devices. From powerful computers that occupy entire floors to portable gadgets. The world has entered the era of post-industrial society. This society is characterized by the primacy of high technology, informatization and computerization of all spheres of society. High technology should further facilitate everyday life and work of man. The Internet has become an integral part of human society. A new way of communication has appeared. Human life has almost ceased to be any secret from others. The information society is a society of the 21st century and subsequent centuries.

Telecommunications operators and telecom equipment manufacturers are constantly looking for opportunities to increase the speed of wireless data transfer. The results of this work are regularly documented as a new generation of a package of cellular standards. The current stage (2020) is called the fifth generation - 5G, but progress does not stand still and even now you can hear about the sixth generation of networks.

The 5G network should replace the currently used 2G and 4G networks. Advantages of the new standard: multiply increased data transfer speed and throughput, connecting more devices, low signal delay (up to 1 millisecond), low power consumption. The development of a standard suitable for implementation is almost complete. In fact, it remains to agree on only a small number of details - this was planned for June 2020. A “small number of details” is coordinated by ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute), an independent, non-profit organization for standardization in the telecommunications industry (equipment manufacturers and network operators) in Europe. As well as 3GPP, IETF, ITU, 5GPPP, NGMN and IEEE - similar organizations aimed at creating basic standards and testing around the world.

Among the international companies that are most actively involved in the development of 5G are Ericsson, Huawei and Nokia. At the same time, from 2009 to 2019, Huawei invested more than $4 billion in research and development of technologies for fifth-generation networks, which is more than the similar investments of the USA and Europe combined.

The world community is divided in the concept of the "network of the future", but why? Some happily install 5G towers (for example, South Korea) and are ready to applaud a bright new future, while others (for example, Great Britain) demolish and burn newfangled communication towers, chanting that “5G towers spread the coronovirus”. So, who is right? What is 5G and why is this development needed?

5G is the fifth generation of mobile communications, operating on the basis of telecommunication standards (5G/IMT-2020), a new generation telecommunication communication standard. 5G technologies should provide higher bandwidth than 4G technologies, which will allow for greater availability of mobile broadband, as well as the use of device-to-device modes (i.e. direct connection between subscribers), highly reliable large-scale communication systems between devices, as well as shorter delay times, Internet speeds of 1-2 Gb/s, lower battery consumption than 4G equipment, which will favorably affect the development of IoT (internet of things). IoT is able to rebuild economic and social processes, eliminating the need for human participation from part of actions and operations. This implies the modernization of many industries: manufacturing, utilities, healthcare, retail, agriculture and the automotive industry. It is also assumed that the new communication format will push the development of new services, for example, unmanned vehicle control, the organization of smart traffic in cities, etc.

In June 2014, ZTE (ZTE Corporation, a major manufacturer of telecommunications equipment and mobile phones in China), was the first supplier to introduce the Pre-5G concept, and in March 2015, the company launched the Pre-5G base station, combining BBU and RRU at MWC in Barcelona (Mobile World Congress - one of the world's largest exhibitions of the mobile industry and congress with the participation of leaders of mobile operators, sellers and content owners around the world). This event attracted the largest players of business around the world and already starting in 2018 5G began to be used as a commercial network. In April 2019, South Korea became the first country to launch fifth-generation commercial services. Further, the wave was picked up by Switzerland, Great Britain, Italy, Spain and Germany. I’ll clarify that not all cities, but only some regions. On October 31, 2019, the 5G network covered 50 cities in China, making the country the leader in implementing this technology and its main supplier.

At the end of May 2020, the US Department of Defense announced the creation of its own fifth generation network, which it intends to use for military purposes.

The US Air Force Base Nellis in Nevada is selected to build its own 5G network. It is planned to launch it in operation in early 2021. It is noted that within the framework of the project, portable towers for mobile communications will be installed at the military base, which can be dismantled in less than an hour. The network will be tested with the participation of mobile operating centers, where team members will use the network while traveling. Access to the network will be available only to users participating in the test. The Pentagon stated that 5G technology is extremely important for preserving the military and economic advantages of the United States. Previously, military bases in Utah, Washington, California, and Georgia were selected to test the prototype 5G network. At the same time, the Pentagon intends to share military frequencies with 5G-network operators in the United States. AN/SPY-1 radars operate at these frequencies, which, according to the Ministry of Defense, are capable of detecting Russian Zircon hypersonic missiles at a distance of about 308 km.

The Pentagon is ready to offer the infrastructure at its disposal as a testing ground for the development of 5G technology. The involvement of the military department should help accelerate the development of fifth-generation internal networks, the implementation of which is dominated by China.

“We are aware that commercial initiatives in telecommunications far outstrip anything that the Pentagon can do. We are struggling to become the flea on the tail of the telecom’s dog. That said, we have national security needs. And to the extent that we can help seed the competitive environment, or encourage it to grow in directions that are relevant to us, we want to do that.” commented Mike Griffin, the technical director of the US Department of Defense.

On February 4, 2020, it became known that technology and telecommunications companies, including Microsoft, Dell and AT&T, were developing software for 5G equipment under the control of the US government. Thanks to this work, the White House expects to weaken Huawei's leading position in this market. According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow, the authorities want companies to use uniform development standards that allow developers of 5G software to run on any manufacturer’s hardware. Such an initiative should reduce the dependence of telecom providers on Huawei technology. According to Kudlow, the White House is committed to “making all of the 5G architecture and infrastructure in the US made by American companies.” At the same time, the adviser did not rule out the involvement of European telecommunications equipment manufacturers in the launch of 5G networks in the United States. Possible partners include Ericsson and Nokia.

In January 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump met with CEOs of several companies at the World Economic Forum in Davos, including Borje Ekholm of Ericsson and Rajiv Suri of Nokia.

“Ericsson has done an excellent job on 5G,” the American leader said then.

US authorities claim that Huawei has strong ties with the Chinese military, making the use of their equipment a threat to US national security. Huawei denies this and claims that it works independently, according to a WSJ publication.

The publication also reports that initially Donald Trump's plans included subsidizing a new hardware manufacturer for 5G instead of developing software standards for these networks. According to Kudlow, the president has not set specific deadlines for all work on the project.

The US government tightly took control, saying that 5G technology is, first of all, a very important military development that should not go beyond the borders of the state. We understand that they do not invent and implement at the state (and world) level with no reason. While they are talking about independent testing and installing 5G networks in different regions of the United States, a new wave of theories about why 5G development is really needed has spread around the user community around the world.

One of the most popular theories is that coronavirus spreads over 5G cellular networks.

Residents of Great Britain burned all the towers of the new network, fearing for their lives. Around the virus that hit the world in the spring of 2020, there are also quite a few theories; people assume and suspect literally everything. Why not? Sounds crazy?

We cannot be 100% sure what the next scientific and technological breakthrough brings to us and to whom it is actually beneficial. It is worth considering how everything is actually interconnected. The human body has an electromagnetic field, the brain communicates with cells and the rest of the body through electrical activity (dendrites are responsible for transmitting an electrical signal from the center of the cell to its periphery and further to other cells), thus the brain processes electrically thoughts and information. We are at some level electrical electromagnetic organisms. And when this electromagnetic field is in equilibrium - we are healthy, when there is no equilibrium and no harmony in it, we are attacked by diseases. In the case of towers and coronovirus, Bill Gates, the billionaire and leading sponsor of the WHO (World Health Organization), appears, who, according to one version, plans to implant electronic chips to the entire population of the Earth using 5G communications.

In an interview for the BBC (June 2020), Bill Gates, on a question about a conspiracy theological theory, which says that he allegedly wants to take over the world through computer chips obtained by vaccination against coronovirus, noted: “If you look at all these gossip and anti-scientific statements that exist, then yes - this leads to incitement of hostility between people. It is disturbing that at such a time digital tools are used for all this craziness. When we finally get the vaccine, we will need to achieve the formation of group immunity, so that about 80% of the population will be vaccinated. But if they think that this is a scam, or that vaccines are harmful, and people do not want vaccination, then the disease will continue to kill people. So, I'm a little worried about the existence of all these crazy ideas. And it surprises me that some of these theories are about me. We donate money to create a tool, we write checks to pharmacological companies. It so happened that our foundation has many specialists in the field of pharmacology, and we are considered an honest intermediary between the government and companies in choosing the best method.”

Proponents of the idea of ​​spreading the virus through 5G immediately note two versions about the true exploitation of malicious new technology. According to the first, 5G cell towers reduce immunity, according to the second - their radio waves transmit coronavirus to humans. Scientists from all over the world refute both theories and shrug their heads in surprise, wondering that someone in their right mind can believe this. But let's look at another point of view expressed by the English professional conspiracy therapist David Ike. His alternative point of view confirms people's concerns about the connection of 5G towers and coronovirus, and here is how he explains this in an interview for London Real (April 2020): “The telecom industry with all its smart technologies and satellites actually looks at everything and acts very globally. While the insulation is in progress, at a very high speed, they begin to install 5G masts. During isolation, 20 different cities in Britain were open to 5G. This technology is now very actively deployed around the world in a very tight mode. Towers are installed all over the planet and people cannot protest, since they are isolated. These emitting 5G towers are installed on every inch of the earth's surface and this is exclusively necessary for the total control of mankind through AI. At the bottom of the “pyramid” of telecommunications, there are many people who have no idea about the effects of 5G and, in general, are not in a hurry to really get into this process. What is 5G for? To massively act psychologically and manage through 5G. What does 5G do? It poisons the cells. They are poisoned by technological electromagnetic fields. Cells become toxic, they secrete exosomes as an immune response, and they give a positive test for covid-19,” Ike explains. He offers one of the scenarios that people can also pay attention to and think seriously.

Many of us will think, can absolutely all technological breakthroughs harm humanity? Is this happening by chance or is it still intentional? Agree, there is also something to think about. For example, Arthur Furstenberg, one of the active opponents of 5G in his book The Invisible Rainbow, explained the relationship between scientific and technological progress and epidemics: “Every time we had a major epidemic (starting with the Spanish flu in 1918) that came from military bases, with symptoms similar to flu, it was preceded by the introduction of the next level of power of technologically generated radiation. In 2018, every single serious increase in technologically generated radiation affected the Earth’s magnetic field, with which we interact and caused massive health problems among the Earth’s population. 5G is introduced in 2019 and Wuhan was the first city to introduce 5G right before the outbreak.” For many years, Arthur has been investigating the effect on human health of electromagnetic fields generated technologically for a long time.

Let's look at this 5G situation from another angle. Elon Musk launches more and more satellites at low altitudes emitting 5G to Earth. He has already received permission for tens of thousands of such points and will continue to strive for his goal - 42,000 satellites. While isolation was underway, the Federal Communications Commission gave Musk permission to deploy the project with 5G without prior testing. Musk was given permission for a million terrestrial antennas in America, which, through electromagnetic radiation, will be connected to satellites. Thus, the so-called “5G technological subreality” will be created. And how will a person live in all this splendor? That's right, through AI. Of course, this is the introduction of a certain design into the brain, on which Neuralink is currently working.

Over and over again, scientific axioms are cited as arguments, the correctness of which has still not been doubted. Is not it? Is there any doubt about what we were told from school in physics and geometry lessons that the “axiom” is something that does not require proof? Few living today, in 2020, this definition seems so obvious. One of the arguments of scientists in defense of 5G, as a secure network, says: radio waves can be harmful - for example, if it is x-rays or even sunlight. But the waves of the 5G range, like other mobile ranges, are located on the opposite, low-frequency end of the electromagnetic spectrum. They are much less powerful, and their energy is even theoretically not enough to even somehow affect a living cell. Numerous experiments and tests could not detect the harmful effects of radiation from cell towers and phones on the human body. And the transfer and introduction of viruses using radio waves is at all something from the field of unscientific fiction. But all these arguments have less significant impact than the arguments of conspiracy theorists. Many celebrities also express their views on their social networks and have many followers. For example, in the West - actor Woody Harrelson and singer M.I.A., and in Russia - TV presenters Victoria Bonya and director Nikita Mikhalkov.

We see that in pulling the “rope” of the arguments “for” and “against” everyone relies on research and everyone speaks convincingly. The only difference is that not popular scenarios of the possible development of events with the new 5G network are more difficult to find, they are not talked about on TV and are not printed in sources like BBC. Moreover, the telecommunications industry in every way blocks and prohibits thinking freely.

So it turns out that despite the efforts of the media and techno-corporations, the number of supporters of the anti-5G movement is growing, and it’s completely incomprehensible what to do with it. And most importantly, is it necessary to do something and what exactly? Conspiracy theories - a tenacious thing, because it is an alternative to everything "reliable", but let's be honest, does something live for so long eating only illusions? We can assume that reflections on the connection between the coronavirus pandemic and the 5th generation cellular communications will mean the end only when both the pandemic and 5G disappear. But when this will happen and whether it will happen is unknown.

Of course, such a large-scale and bold theory, as a statement about the dangers of 5G and all kinds of conspiracies, did not pass over the enterprising guys who want to quickly cut down the "hot" money. At the end of May 2020, it became known about the start of sales of the 5GBioShield USB Key USB stick, which, according to the developers, is able to protect people from “harmful 5G networks”. The 5GBioShield gadget description states that it uses “quantum holographic catalyst technology” to protect the home from 5G networks. BBC News reports that 5GBioShield was recommended by Tony Hall, a member of the Glastonbury City Council 5G Network Advisory Committee. He also stated that "we ourselves use this device and find it very useful." In his report, Hall claims that when 5G is turned on, flocks of birds fall from the sky, nosebleeds begin in people and suicides increase. The same report contains links to documents that falsely link the spread of the new coronavirus to 5G networks. None of these statements have been scientifically confirmed, but this does not prevent Hall from distributing them. The security company ordered one of the devices recommended by Hall in order to investigate the “technology of quantum holographic catalyst”. Having disassembled the device into parts, the researchers found only a 128-megabyte flash drive, which is probably a USB drive made in China and received an additional sticker. BBC reporters contacted the owners of a website distributing USB sticks against 5G networks and accused them of fraud. About what ended the business with entrepreneurs are not reported.

5G developers talk about several important areas of applications for next-generation networks: medicine, transportation, home, entertainment. SGS (the world leader in inspection services, examination, testing and certification) also monitors compliance with the required standards. And if in the case of medicine one can say no questions, in this area, especially when it comes to life and death, all methods are good, but otherwise, what do you think?

Medicine. Thanks to 5G, a patient who needs surgical help will no longer need to go to a clinic or hospital, an urgent video call to a more competent specialist can save a life. Through a 5G video session, a highly qualified surgeon can remotely monitor what is happening during the surgery and adjust the actions of colleagues, or control auxiliary devices. Telemedicine is one of the most promising and fastest growing healthcare segments in the world. According to Global Market Insights, the global telemedicine market in 2019 will amount to $ 38.3 billion, and by 2025 will increase by more than three times, to $ 130.5 billion.

Next is transport. A new generation wireless network will help the development of unmanned vehicles due to the high data transfer speed. According to PwC forecast, fully unmanned transport in the largest cities of the planet will appear by 2040. 5G will give autonomous cars the ability to interact with roads, traffic lights, street signs and parking lots. All data from connected cars and IoT sensors will be transferred to the cloud storage and processed. 5G will play an important role in the safety of unmanned vehicles due to the low signal delay: if necessary, the dispatcher can take over emergency control of the vehicle.

House. If we talk about life, then 5G is primarily associated with the Internet of things (IoT) and the “smart” home. The number of devices that can be connected to IoT is constantly growing: these are smart bulbs, sockets, speakers, cameras, locks and much more. To a large number of things quickly and without failures "communicate" with each other, you need a connection that provides high speed data transfer. 5G technology can solve these problems, among other things, increasing the safety of the house and saving energy.

Entertainment. With 5G, the global entertainment industry is expected to increase revenue by more than $ 1 trillion. High data transfer speeds and a short delay time will lead to a breakthrough in the field of "cloud" games. The bottom line is that the processing of complex 3D-graphics is undertaken by a special server, and the resulting image over the 5G network with minimal delays is transmitted to the most ordinary laptop. As a result, the game runs at the same speed as on a powerful gaming computer, which is now not necessary to buy. And you can start the game not only from home, but from any place of 5G coverage - even if you are sitting with a computer on a park bench. 5G will also make it possible to download a full-length movie in seconds, not minutes, and get access to streaming multimedia almost instantly.

Seductive innovations promise us to make our life even easier and more affordable. We solve the problem by removing our hands from the steering wheel of a car, trusting all autopilot; we trust our entire house to a robot that allows us to manage all the comforts without getting up from the couch. And they also promise us that downloading your favorite movie will be even faster, anywhere, anytime. But is this really our problem? Perhaps the situation with the “drunk” accident will go away, but what will appear instead of them? Are we going to fat from a passive lifestyle? Or muscles will atrophy in our bodies, the head will become larger from an increased thought process and data processing, the brain will enter a competitive battle with the “machine” and we will become like uncharted inhabitants of neighboring galaxies?

According to forecasts of the American publication Visual Capitalist, by 2024, 1.5 billion people will connect to 5G. But while there is no single 5G standard, a number of infrastructure and technology tests are underway, many of which are still being developed. In commercial sales, 5G devices are still very few. At first, even devices with 5G will work on frequency refarming - that is, use the infrastructure serving 4G. But this standard will be more demanding on smartphone manufacturers: to support it, a much more powerful battery will be needed. Now it’s too early to buy a smartphone with 5G - before it becomes a new standard, another 3-4 years will pass.

5G technology leads the development of the “Internet of Things” IoT. Despite the seemingly bright prospects, IoT is fraught with a lot of pitfalls, primarily related to security. A large number of IoT devices makes them easy prey for attackers. Using the weakness of the built-in protection systems, hackers use them for malicious activity, for example, for organizing DDoS attacks. An IoT device is usually small and inexpensive (with well-known exceptions, such as industrial automation or medical devices). Due to the limited amounts of RAM and processor resources, it is impossible to organize security checks on them, that are standard for large computers or at least powerful phones. In addition, due to the low margin, the developers of such devices simply do not have the means to develop a culture of information security, track vulnerabilities and update. All this can potentially lead to the fact that with the help of IoT networks, attackers and hackers will organize huge botnets (a network of computers with malicious software installed that are controlled by hackers remotely, often without the knowledge of device owners), from which powerful attacks can be expected.

The first IoT-based botnet appeared in 2016. It was Mirai, made up of hundreds of thousands of routers, cameras, DVR servers and other connected devices - right down to the coffee machines. With Mirai's help, hackers attacked Dyn, one of the largest DNS server providers in the world, and Twitter, eBay, New York Times, CNN, and other popular resources did not open for hours on end. In 2019, the average size of botnets increased by 20% compared to 2018 and amounted to 5045 machines, which can be attributed to the increase in the number of vulnerable smartphones and the IoT devices. The maximum botnet size in 2019 was 237,249 infected devices. The main motives for DDoS attacks on commercial companies are extortion and unfair competition. Such situations are a kind of technical opposition. All these are puzzles of one big picture of today, with their "villains" and "benefactors."

5G technologies are the realities of our future, the same as the invention of the radio network and the first telephone in 1876 by Alexander Bell, patented in the USA. We see that an infinite number of theories and radical decisions lead the followers - impudent and decisive. We question everything that surrounds us, trying to catch the very Truth in which we will find our truth. We can only delay our future a little, but it is inevitable. And what it will be is up to us. The "chariot" of technical progress will be carried forward no matter what, but the path it rushes is up to us!