Health Scares Slow the Rollout of 5G Cell Towers in Europe
The next-generation wireless technology transmits more energy, but there’s no evidence of harmful effects.
In the small Alpine town of Wohlen, a fierce backlash against the latest generation of mobile phone technology is under way. The Swiss municipality won’t allow Sunrise Communications AG or other phone companies to build masts to broadcast 5G, citing concerns about health risks from the towers’ electromagnetic radiation. Activist group Frequencia, which calls for limits on 5G’s rollout in part because of fears about cancer risks, attracted hundreds of people to a mass protest outside the parliament in Bern in September.
Reticence in Wohlen and other parts of Switzerland, including Geneva, has created an obstacle to Sunrise’s plans to provide the latest services. “All this stuff has delayed my rollout vs. my own company plan,” says Olaf Swantee, who resigned as chief executive officer on Jan. 3 in the wake of a failed deal to buy a cable business. He says Sunrise was able to build only half the number of 5G sites he’d wanted to complete by the end of 2019.