France began deploying 5G at the beginning of the year, and it was met with controversy related to health risks, with some areas of the country halting rollout. The Connexion reported that after an investigation, the country’s national health and safety agency, Anses, found that 5G technology presents “no new health risks.”
In a report released on April 20, Anses noted, “In line with its expertise on radio frequencies and health, and based on the scientific data available to date, Anses considers that the deployment of 5G in the 3.5 GHz frequency band is unlikely to present new health risks.”
According to The Connexion, 5G is available in France through four major operators: Bouygues Telecom, Free Mobile, Orange, and SFR. 5G service is only available currently on the 3.5 GHz frequency, not the 26 GHz band. Anses recommends further research into the health effects at various frequencies.
France plans to roll out 5G to 3,000 locations by 2022, 8,000 sites by 2024, and 10,500 areas by 2025, reported The Connexion. According to France’s telecommunications regulatory agency Arcep, at least 25 percent of sites are required to be in “sparsely populated areas and industrial areas, outside the main metropolitan zones.”
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