Citizens are massively opposing the installation of mobile masts for the new 5G network. Although there is no scientific evidence for this, there are fears of health damage.
The arrival of 5G is expected to increase the current number of 18,000 cell towers by at least 10 percent. Providers T-Mobile, Vodafone and KPN say they notice the increasing resistance to installing the masts. In the Netherlands, KPN alone currently has three hundred applications for new masts and antennas, but they are being processed slowly due to the resistance.
According to KPN, it usually takes one and a half to two years to install a transmission tower. Now that residents are trying to stop the arrival of mobile masts, the concern is that it will take even longer. The provider had already been working on a placement in Nieuw-Vennep for twelve years.
In addition, interest group Monet, on behalf of KPN, T-Mobile and Vodafone, points out to the government that they are expected to have to dig deep into their pockets for mobile frequencies, only to be massively opposed. However, Monet is not surprised by the resistance: there was also protest at 2G, 3G and 4G.
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