5G threatens weather prediction

The new generation of mobile telephony has side effects: it interferes with observation satellites, increases energy consumption and polluting emissions and reduces the band that DTT uses

The 5G, which will begin to be implemented in Spain from next year, promises a new world: better connections with data transfer capabilities more than 10 times higher than the current ones and response in milliseconds between the order and the execution of it. It is not an improvement only for personal uses: robotization, smart cities, the internet of things, autonomous driving or remote operations, are pending implementation. The applications are huge. But, as with all advances, there are always collateral victims. Research published by Nature warns of the incidence of this technology on satellites that monitor time. In addition, the electricity consumption and the consequent polluting emissions will grow. The spectrum currently occupied by DTT in Spain will also be affected.

Time

Satellites that point to the Earth to monitor the concentration of water vapor in the atmosphere are key to developing weather forecasts and these will be affected by the interference that will cause the devices that operate with 5G. The United States has begun allocating bands between 24.25 and 25.25 gigahertz. Those devices that use the band closest to the 23.8 gigahertz that use the steam meters will cause interferences that will prevent the detection of the concentrations and the reliable elaboration of meteorological forecasts, according to the research published in Nature.

Electric consumption and pollution

"Downloading a series is equivalent to the consumption of an old 60-watt light bulb turned on for 20 hours," warns Ramón Rodríguez, associate director of Sustainability and Energy at Arup España, an engineering and consulting company present around the world that works on projects of sustainability This greater consumption that will cause the huge expected use of the networks and the consequent increase in polluting emissions is another of the side effects of the new telephony.

The technicians of Arup explain that the data processing centers consume an average of 200 terawatt-hours (TWh) per year, the equivalent to the consumption of a country like Spain. This demand accounts for 1% of the total electricity in the world and generates 0.3% of global carbon emissions. If all the devices and networks linked to them are added to these centers, all this technology needs between 5% and 9% of the world's electricity consumption and increases to 2% its participation in global pollution, similar to that generated by air transport

TV

Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) in Spain will also be affected, since it must release the 700 megahertz band, key to guarantee coverage of 5G in the most isolated areas. The communities will have to readjust the antennas and the users, retune their television sets.

In addition, as the National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC) warned, leaving this band at 5G will mean the loss of 30% of the spectrum used by DTT services.

Other effects

The implementation of the new technology will also have other effects. The 5G will require devices adapted to it if it wants to take advantage of the potential of this technology, so it will generate a new flow of obsolete devices that will go to the waste chain.

Also the developments of these devices imply the increase of the production of the necessary materials, some of them with a great environmental impact.