Technology and medical experts are dismissing a theory linking the new coronavirus to 5G wireless equipment.
Officials in Britain have blamed the theory for leading to the destruction of mobile phone transmitters in different parts of the country.
Britain’s Cabinet Officer Michael Gove was asked about the idea that 5G telecommunications equipment could play a part in the spread of the coronavirus. “That is just nonsense, dangerous nonsense as well,” he said.
The communications technology called 5G is the next generation of wireless technology. Companies around the world have been working to build 5G networks to replace 4G systems. 5G promises much higher internet speeds. Currently, 5G service remains very limited in many areas of the world, and not many 5G mobile devices are available.
Some reports appearing online have linked the new coronavirus to the launch of 5G in major Chinese cities in late October 2019. The first coronavirus cases first began to be reported in areas around Wuhan, in central China, in December.
In Britain, officials said one of the most serious incidents was a fire attack on a mobile phone tower in the city of Birmingham. The officials said the fire caused major damage although no 5G equipment was attached to the tower.
The medical director for Britain’s National Health Service, or NHS, Stephen Powis, said the theory linking 5G to the coronavirus was false news with no scientific support.
He told Reuters news agency the destruction of equipment can only hurt the country’s emergency efforts to deal with the coronavirus crisis. “The reality is that the mobile phone networks are absolutely critical to all of us,” Powis said.
