Turkey's BTK says 5G infrastructure 'being produced locally' following citizens' safety concerns

Several Turkish citizens have sent petitions to the parliament, raising their concerns about the safety of 5G technology. The parliament's committee on petition has asked the issue to the Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) and was told that Turkey was “working to produce the 5G infrastructure locally.”

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Some 1,999 citizens have sent a petition to Turkish Parliament, calling on the authorities to stop the deployment of 5G technology in Turkey amid concerns that this new technology poses health risks. Scientists and doctors from all over the world have been warning about the danger of 5G, which will lead to a massive increase in involuntary exposure to electromagnetic radiation. 

The Turkish parliament's committee on petition has asked the issue to the Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) and was told that Turkey was “working to produce the 5G infrastructure locally,” daily Hürriyet reported on Sept. 19.

The BTK said in its answer that the current 4G infrastructure in Turkey is no longer sufficient to meet the country's demand and noted: “The firms in the Communication Technologies Cluster (HTK) firms, through a local and national initiative, continue their works to produce the equipment and software products which the mobile networks will need in transition to 5G technology.”

Turkey is currently using 4.5G technology, also known as LTE, which is 10 times faster than 3G, in its mobile phone devices since 2016.

5G networks offer faster speeds and more reliable connections on smartphones and other devices, however there have been protests all over the world over over concerns about the harmful effects 5G wireless base stations could have on humans, animals, and plants.