Masts have been set on fire due to the conspiracy theories (Picture: SWNS; Bloomberg/Getty)

39 engineers from BT have been physically or verbally assaulted by people who believe the new 5G technology is linked to coronavirus.

The company’s chief executive spoke out about the problem to try and protect his staff and prevent the ‘misinformation’.

Philip Jansen, who is recovering from mild symptoms of coronavirus, said this was a situation he had ‘never imagined’ – that his staff would be in danger from those who wrongly believe 5G can trigger Covid-19 symptoms or suppress the immune system.

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, he said: ’11 of our mobile masts have been destroyed or damaged through arson – and 33 across all operators in the UK so far. That may not sound a lot, but if the site that provides coverage to your house gets burned down, it matters.


‘Everything about this is senseless. There’s no thought for the validity of the theories – many openly contradict themselves; all ignore the very basic principles of science.’



Some believe that coronavirus does not exist, and it is a cover up for problems caused by 5G.

But Mr Jansen said: ‘Most of the sites attacked don’t even carry 5G.’

‘This week, we’ve seen telephone poles wrapped in barbed wire to stop our engineers doing their job. Those poles carry fixed phone lines, they’re nothing to do with mobile. It’s hard to know where to begin to use science, logic or reason to debunk something so devoid of reality.’

Most people seem to be getting their theories from YouTube, Whatsapp, or private groups on Facebook, he added.

Philip Jansen, chief executive of BT (Picture: BT)

Mr Jansen said that 5G was just a new radio network, like 4G but faster.

The World Health Organistion has spoken out about the false theories, saying: ‘Viruses cannot travel on radio waves/mobile networks. Covid-19 is spreading in many countries that do not have 5G mobile networks.

‘Covid-19 is spread through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks. People can also be infected by touching a contaminated surface and then their eyes, mouth or nose.’

We wrote about how the conspiracy theories are physically impossible here.