5G network is being expanded

5G antennas have already been installed in various municipalities. The handling of the submitted building applications for new locations differs, however, and the Zug Building Management (Baudirektion) is striving to standardise this.

The goal was set long ago: 90% of the population wanted Swisscom to supply 5G by the end of 2019, and the mobile operator announced that it had achieved this at the turn of the year. Salt and Sunrise are also expanding their coverage. This Swiss-wide development is also being reflected in the canton of Zug. As can be seen by a look at the overview map of local transmitters, there are already numerous 5G antenna locations in the cantonal area (see illustration).

Most systems only have a low transmission power, however, meaning that the effective radiated power is between 10 and 100 watts. Only a few correspond to a medium output: i.e., a total output between 100 and 1000 watts. The number of antennas is greatest in the region around Baar, in the Ennetsee, and in the city of Zug,

5G technology, which promises faster response times and faster internet, is not without controversy, however, and has been the subject of lively discussion in the communities. Baar, for example, is vehemently fighting back. Last year, the municipality announced that it would not approve building permits for such transmission towers until "the effects on people and the environment have been thoroughly clarified," as Construction Manager Jost Arnold said. On request, he emphasized that this strategy should be adhered to. "The measurement recommendations on which the federal government is currently working will be decisive for the municipality of Baar," says Arnold.

                                                          5G antennas in the canton of Zug

The new technology has met with less city council resistance on the opposite side of the lake, in the municipality of Hünenberg, where 5G antennas are also located. When asked how they will deal with building applications for the new antennas, the local council referred to a corresponding decision last summer. This shows that Hünenberg is adopting the cantonal transitional arrangement, according to which building applications should not be handled in a simple procedure, and approvals should only be issued if the system does not exceed 80% of the limit value (4 volts/metre). "With the solution from the Office for the Environment, providers can create their network, and the population will be protected by the lower limit," states the decision of the Hünenberg town council.

The canton is also considering the issues surrounding the expansion of the mobile network and radiation exposure, and two interpellations were submitted to the cantonal council last year. The answers of the government council are now available, and give an insight into the current situation and the further procedure. In response to the interpellation from the Baar cantonal councillors Pirmin Andermatt (CVP), Zari Dzaferi (SP) and Urs Andermatt (FDP) regarding 5G, the government council writes, for example, that some building applications have been submitted that meet the criteria of the internal instructions, but that none had been approved at the time of the December response. Florian Weber explains: "So far, one application has been assessed by the Office for the Environment in the city of Zug, and one in Hünenberg."

The government council makes the following assessment for the further course of the expansion: The number of mobile radio systems will increase by around 30 percent in the next few years. "Around 25 percent of the existing systems will be expanded."

The interpellants also asked about municipal and cantonal cooperation. Was the canton of Zug ready to support the municipalities on this issue? They also wanted to know whether any requests to set up 5G transmitters will have to be postponed until there is proof that these 5G antennas are not harmful to health, i.e. will a moratorium be imposed?

A ban or moratorium is not justified from the point of view of the government council. "It is, however, important that the municipal licensing practice in the canton of Zug is handled as consistently as possible," said the government council in Zug.

It thereby supports the above-mentioned interim solution of the building directorate, which permits approval for adaptive antennas, provided that they do not exceed 80 percent of the maximum permissible system limit values.

Is 5G technology a health risk or not?

This question comes up again and again in the debate about the 5G network. According to the government council of Zug, however, this has not yet been finally clarified, as stated in the response to an interpellation question by the cantonal councillors Ivo Egger (Baar, ALG), Andreas Hürlimann and Anastas Odermatt (both Steinhausen and ALG) regarding cell phone radiation exposure. "The harmful effects of non-ionizing, and especially high-frequency electromagnetic fields - not specifically related to 5G technology - are controversial," said the government council. While possible consequences such as increased cancer risk, genetic damage, structural and functional changes in the reproductive system, and learning and memory deficits have so far been “neither proven causally nor convincingly refuted”, it is proven that body tissue heats up due to radiation. "Whether the increasing frequency coverage and the spatial density of the non-ionizing radiation are likely to be of greater importance than the individual frequency ranges in terms of health risks is still open," says the government council. Limit values for non-ionizing radiation are set at the federal level - they are technology-neutral. The limits are designed to protect people from harmful or troublesome non-ionizing radiation. According to the government council of Zug, the values are “ten times lower than international emission values”.