South Korea goes ahead with 5G but… Brussels does not, due to health and radiation levels concerns. The problem is that safety limits for cell towers in Brussels are far more stringent than those recommended by ICNIRP. This causes problems for the deployment of the 5G in Brussels, as eloquently presented by Jack Rowley of the GSMA at the conference in Warsaw, Poland (link to Rowley slides).
Similar problem with 5G cell towers will experience India, where safety limits for cell towers are 10% of what ICNIRP recommends. The problem is briefly described here: Safety limits and the deployment of the 5G MIMO towers.
Here is the today’s (April 1, 2019) story on 5G in Brussels, directly from ‘The Brussels Times‘:
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Plans for a pilot project to provide high-speed 5G wireless internet in Brussels have been halted due to fears for the health of citizens, according to reports
In July, the government concluded an agreement with three telecom operators to relax the strict radiation standards in Brussels. But according to the Region, it is now impossible to estimate the radiation from the antennas required for the service.
“I cannot welcome such technology if the radiation standards, which must protect the citizen, are not respected, 5G or not,” Environment minister Céline Fremault (CDH) told Bruzz. “The people of Brussels are not guinea pigs whose health I can sell at a profit. We cannot leave anything to doubt,” she added.
A pilot project is not feasible with the current radiation standards, and Fremault told Bruzz that she does not intend to make an exception.
The Brussels region has particularly strict radiation standards for telecom applications. The standard of 6 volts per metre has already led to problems in the past with providing fast mobile internet via 4G in the capital.
Last week, the various governments in Belgium once again failed to reach agreement on the auctioning of the 5G licences. The file remains stuck on the distribution of the proceeds. It will be up to the next government to handle the proposal, said Telecom Minister Philippe De Backer (Open VLD) last week.