Benefits and potential impacts of 5G mobile technology discussed at meeting last week

People seeking more information on 5G mobile technology and its impact attended a meeting at the Denmark Council Chambers last week.

The next-generation mobile technology has already been switched on in Denmark but is only operating on the low to medium bands.

Capable of downloading a high-definition movie in seconds, the higher frequency band has attracted much attention, with some worried about potential health effects.

That is despite reassurance from Australia’s chief medical officer Professor Brendan Murphy. “There is no evidence telecommunication technologies such as 5G cause adverse health impacts,” Professor Murphy said last year. The meeting was convened by Telstra after the Shire resolved to invite the telecommunications giant in June.

Telstra WA regional general manager Boyd Brown said attendees were a mix of people, some of whom were concerned about the potential health impact of 5G technology.

“There were questions around mobile coverage and Mobile Black Spot Program, network resilience ... there were some community members who attended that had views on health and safety standards,” he said.

“We had handout material and I spoke to emissions and how we comply with World Health Organisation and ARPANSA, the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency.

“They kind of scoffed a little at that because they have their own views based on information that they’ve gathered.

“We take their concerns to heart but at the end of the day 5G complies with all of the standards as well ... it operates at less than 1.5 per cent of the acceptable standard, which is very low.”