What is 5G?
The fifth generation of cellular wireless connectivity.
Unlike 3G, 4G, etc, the term 5G doesn’t refer to a single thing but to a combination of technologies – wireless communications, hardware and software – that together offer high quality network services.
Why is 5G interesting?
5G brings three new aspects to the table:
- Greater speed (to move more data)
- Less delay (to be more responsive)
- The ability to connect a lot more devices at once (for example sensors)
Watch this short video to find out more.
Where are you planning trials?
- On a small number of remote Dorset farms. They have yet to be chosen
- At Dorset Innovation Park, Winfrith
- On the Lulworth Estate
- Along the Dorset coast. The areas have yet to be chosen
How much is this costing?
The trials will cost Dorset taxpayers £150,000. The remainder of the £6.675 million will be funded by Government and industry.
Is 5G dangerous?
All trials in Dorset will stay within the approved safety guidelines.
Read a statement from Public Health England.
Why 5G? I can’t even get 3G or 4G
Government is funding trials to see if 5G can be rolled out differently and help solve rural challenges. Rural Dorset has won a share of this funding.
5G builds on previous generations of wireless connectivity, so trial areas will also get 4G.
A separate proposed programme between mobile operators and the government will see the big four mobile companies sharing masts and resources to deliver a 4G signal across 95% of the UK landmass by 2025.
This “Shared Rural Network” should mean an end to the vast majority of not-spots (areas where there is no mobile signal) and virtually all partial not-spots (areas with a signal from one or more operators, but not all four).
I live in Shillingston many parts of the village cannot get 3G let alone 5G .
Why can’t you spend some of this money getting a signal any signal at all woul be good.
Hi Bob We know it’s frustrating not being able to get mobile signal in some areas of Dorset. The funding we’ve got is specifically for 5G trials, but part of the project is to understand how mobile connectivity in general could be rolled out differently in future to overcome some of the barriers that prevent network coverage in rural areas like Dorset.
This issue of bad signal is not something we can resolve – we need mobile operators and central Government to make this happen. What we learn from this project won’t cure our `not spots’ overnight but may help speed things up.
Hi, I live in Stalbridge, what are the chances of 5G reaching out area? We seem to be stuck in a rut where we cannot get fibre broadband to our doorstep, without paying thousands for it. So I am very keen to learn about this 5G rollout as it’s the next best solution. Do you have any plans for this trial to reach us in North Dorset?
Thanks for your comment. As far as the council is aware, there are no commercial plans to bring full fibre to the centre of Stalbridge. Residents and businesses in the village could apply for subsidised funding towards full fibre under a new government voucher scheme, which is launched on April 8 Gigabit Vouchers | Maintenance mode (culture.gov.uk). The two main suppliers for your area are Wessex Internet (Fibre Broadband | Ultrafast Rural Internet | Wessex Internet) and Openreach (Community Fibre Partnerships (openreach.com) . With Wessex, individuals register an interest in receiving full fibre via voucher funding and when around 40% of the area register their interest, Wessex will begin the process of applying to the government for voucher funding. With Openreach, it requires someone to register a list of premises that would like fibre through voucher funding on its Community Fibre Partnership site. Openreach then costs the scheme and provides an estimate, advising the community if they have enough voucher funding to cost the scheme. If they do they ask the community if they would like to go ahead. A formal cost quote is then provided and a legal entity acting on behalf of the community is asked to sign a contract with Openreach (usually this will be a Community Interest Group or a parish council). If, following the estimate, there is not enough premises to cover the cost through vouchers alone Openreach will try and add more premises, or if that’s not possible, ask if the community would like to contribute. You are not committed at that stage and can walk away.
In our experience, the voucher scheme works best when a local person is happy to take the lead in engaging with neighbours and encouraging them to register.
If your broadband speed is less than 10mbps you could also be entitled to help from a scheme run by BT and OFCOM called the Universal Service Obligation. This will either offer you a 4g home hub solution or subsidy of £3,400 towards full fibre. More details here: Universal Service Obligation (USO) for Broadband (bt.com)
More rural areas will be in-line to receive full fibre as a result of the recent government announcement that Dorset is to benefit from its Project Gigabit fund, but work on identifying those areas will take a number of months and we would encourage people in the meantime to explore the voucher route.
If you have any other queries, you can get in touch with us connectingdorset@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk
There is nil or very poor signal in the valley between Corton Denham and Sandford Orcas. If this could be rectified a lot of people in that area would be pleased and would convert to more advanced mobile phones.
Hi Peter We know it’s frustrating not being able to get mobile signal in some areas of Dorset. The funding we’ve got is specifically for 5G trials, but part of the project is to understand how mobile connectivity in general could be rolled out differently in future to overcome some of the barriers that prevent network coverage in rural areas like Dorset.
This issue of bad signal is not something we can resolve – we need mobile operators and central Government to make this happen. What we learn from this project won’t cure our `not spots’ overnight but may help speed things up.
If you’re are not.yet aware on the oxygen utilisation impacts (respiratory system) 5G has on human body, NOW would be a good time to listen.
Oxygen is in the air we breathe, it comes from trees. Trees make it out of carbon dioxide. It’s two oxygen molecules and they share electrons. When you hit oxygen molecules with 60 GHz millimeter wave emissions it affects the orbital properties of the electrons of the oxygen molecules. The 60 GHz range is known as the Oxygen Absorption Band. At 60GHz, 98% of electromagnetic energy is absorbed by O2. When 5G reaches the frequency band of 60 GHz, the ability for a person’s blood hemoglobin to bind with oxygen is hindered.
“Hello. Our project will accept and follow all national and international safety guidelines. These guidelines include the March 2020 updated international exposure guidelines which now include improved protection for higher frequency 5G frequencies.
Public Health England’s guidance is based on World Health Organisation’s findings, which is that exposures to radio waves below the limits recommended in international exposure guidelines do not appear to have any known consequence on health.
Recently, Ofcom published its measurements of radio frequencies near 5G mobile phone base stations at 16 locations across the UK. In all cases, the measured electromagnetic frequency levels from 5G-enabled mobile phone base stations were at small fractions of the levels identified in the ICNIRP (international Committee on Non-ionizing Radiation Protection) Guidelines.
If you have evidence of harm caused by a 5G network, you should consider submitting it to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s inquiry into broadband and the road to 5G.
I concur. Much more research needs to be conducted (and published) into the affects of 5G on nature. When the first virus stats were published I noted that the ‘hot spots’ were areas which had ;
A) Historically poor air quality
B) Big roll-outs of 5G.
The only exception in the top ones was Hampshire. I Pondered on this for a while and came to the conclusion that many people in the county commute into London. That’s where they get their daily dose.
Hi John You might be interested to know that Full Fact, an independent UK fact checking organisation, has stated that “there is no evidence that 5G has anything to do with COVID-19” either in terms of causing coronavirus or accelerating its spread. You can read more about their statement here
5G does not use 60GHz. It uses frequencies similar to 4G.
How can there be guidlines for something that has never been properly tested?
5G was designed for 2 uses Ship to Ship military communication and as a weapon system ADR where it feels like your skin is on fire.
Neither uses were ever intended for use in general population
My previous comment in reply to Victoria Wheatley was not published. A bit too close to the truth perhaps. Anyway, let me have another go with this news article.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/03/happy-hypoxia-unusual-coronavirus-effect-baffles-doctors
Well said , and it’s all about the money for these councils. No regard for human , animal or insect. They keep churning out the old garbage on the WHO. No test on this scale has ever been done. When this all comes out the council’s will be held accountable,no independent checks are done.