Wireless 5G Radiofrequency Technology — An Overview of Small Cell Exposures, Standards and Science

5G small cell antenna systems are among the latest technologies that support wireless communications by the transmission of radiofrequency (RF) signals. Coded RF signals in the range of 0.6 to 47 GHz from fixed small cell antennas supplement wireless communications from 3G and 4G wireless systems. This paper describes the propagation of RF signals from a pole-mounted 5G antenna and how the signal strength declines with distance for a representative installation operating at 39 GHz. The far field exposure from the antenna is compared to those from multiple natural and man-made RF sources. In the United States, RF exposure standards are issued by the Federal Communications Commission. We review the history and derivation of these standards in relation to other national and international standard-setting bodies. Some have raised concern as to whether sufficient health and safety studies have been performed on RF from 5G systems, but the commonality of RF frequencies up to 300 GHz enables health agencies and standard-setting bodies to assess the potential for effects across this frequency spectrum. A 5G RF signal does not have a different mode of action than a lower frequency communication signal; both involve tissue heating at sufficient field strengths. The key difference for 5G frequencies above 6 GHz is that the body’s electrical properties better limit energy deposition to a shallow depth, largely confined to superficial layers of the skin. Research to date has not provided a reliable scientific basis to conclude that RF communication signals at 5G or other frequencies will cause or contribute to adverse health effects.