Concerns about the spread of COVID-19 due to 5G technology were raised by Telecom’s industrial organization COAI on Friday.
According to staff members such as Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, members of the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), said that over the past few days they have been more likely to receive more messages on social media.
Anxiety About False Rumors
Concerns about false rumors involving 5G technology and the spread of COVID-19, were expressed in a joint statement on Friday, COAI and the Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association (TAIPA).
Industry bodies say they have encountered numerous messages on social media and reports in a few regional media outlets that are said to be seeking ‘5G spectrum testing’ as a cause of growing COVID-19 cases.
COAI Director-General SP Kochhar said “We would like to make it clear that the rumors are completely false. We urge people not to fall into this baseless information. Many countries around the world are already rolling out 5G networks and people are using these services securely”.
Even the World Health Organization has made it clear that there is no connection between 5G and Covid-19 technology, he said.
“We have shared our concerns with the Department of Telecommunications and informed them of the situation. We urge our citizens to beware of these fake messages. Together we can fight this problem of false information,” Kochhar said.
People have been participating in voice recording when some people in the conversation were heard blaming 5G tests for the increasing number of casualties in India.
COAI said no 5G tests are taking place in the country and no 5G towers have been installed yet.
“Telecom services are the backbone of the nation, especially in modern times.
“In fact, these networks keep people safe by empowering homework, online classes, e-health communication and online doctoring, etc. Hundreds of millions of people rely on these networks to get real-time information when they need it,” he said.
WHO: Busting Myths Forward
The WHO, which has been at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 worldwide and in promoting myths and misinformation about the disease, also stressed that “viruses cannot travel on radio waves / cellular networks”, the statement said.
Elaborating on 5G and human health, the WHO said “there are no adverse health outcomes or causes associated with exposure to wireless technology”, it could not say.
TAIPA Director-General Tilak Raj Dua said: “Such misleading campaigns, if not immediately controlled, could have a significant impact on telecommunications and therefore greater connections and prevent the general public and government officials from accessing uninterrupted telephone services at this critical time.” DoT proposals approved 5G case proposals on May 5 and companies are yet to launch trials.
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