An engineer from SK Telecom checks a base station for 5G networks installed on the rooftop of a building in Myeong-dong, downtown Seoul, Nov. 14. / Courtesy of SK Telecom



By Jun Ji-hye



SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus, which are preparing to offer fifth-generation (5G) network services for smartphones in March, have experienced trouble installing their base stations due to opposition from local residents who are worried about the potential health risks of exposure to electromagnetic waves, officials said Tuesday.



To offer super-fast 5G services for smartphones in time, mobile carriers need to increase the number of their base stations quickly, but it has not been easy to speed up installation because of what critics called NIMBY, or "Not In My Backyard" syndrome.



Some residents vehemently opposed the installation of base stations near their homes due to worries about health, while some building owners demanded ridiculously high rental fees to allow mobile carriers to install base stations on rooftops.



"Even if we want to install sufficient base stations to offer stable communication services to all users, there is no option when we face opposition from residents," an official from a telecom company said. "It is not easy to find new places to install 5G base stations."



Mobile carriers experienced the same conflict when they installed base stations for fourth-generation, or LTE, networks. But the NIMBY syndrome is presenting greater difficulties as companies need more base stations for 5G networks, whose frequency ranges are influenced more by obstacles.



Telecom firms are suffering from double trouble when seeking to install base stations in areas where apartments stand close together, as in this case they are required to acquire approval from resident committees.



Company officials have had to visit resident committees to explain the harmlessness of electromagnetic waves.



When residents raise questions about health risks, Radio Promotion Association (RAPA) officials come to the committees and show them the results of measuring electromagnetic waves.



Even after the committees approve the installation, negotiation for rental fees is becoming another issue.



"Failure to install base stations causes call quality degradation," another official from a telecom firm said. "The hardest part is when some residents want a base station for stable call quality, but the resident committee is opposed."



The RAPA stressed that its experimental results showed that there was no particular harmfulness in electromagnetic waves of 5G networks compared to LTE networks.



According to the Ministry of Science and ICT, LG Uplus has installed 4,133 5G base stations nationwide as of Nov. 30, while KT has installed 854 and SK Telecom has 817.

