The term fibre refers to the cabling that is installed underground in the rights-of-way and connects a wireless service providers’ core network to the small cell technology.

The terms conduit and ducting are often used interchangeably and reference the underground pipe or tube that is used to route and protect a wireless service provider’s fibre or cable. The term ‘duct bank’ refers to a collection of these conduits and may either be directly buried in earth, or encased in concrete. A duct bank allows for easier access for the replacement or repair of damaged cables, without the expense of re-excavating a trench.

Small cell refers to a low-powered cellular radio access node that wireless service providers may attach to poles, buildings, etc. to improve cellular network coverage, capacity, speed and user experience. Small cells are, on average, 30 cm by 30 cm and typically have a range of 10 to 500 metres and are generally attached at a height of 4.5 meters to 5.5 meters. Individual Small Cells require power, but do not require a cabinet. In order for the small cell technology to work, it requires fibre (cable) backhaul (underground and overhead) that connects a wireless service providers core network to the small cell technology.

Macro cell refers to a high power cellular base station used by wireless service providers to provide cellular network coverage to a large area, ranging from a few kilometres up to tens of kilometres. A macro cell panel is, on average, one to five metres tall. Macro cell base stations have power outputs of typically tens of watts and are found on towers and rooftops. Macro sites are typically shared by more than one wireless service provider which may include multiple antennas, radios, equipment cabinets, support masts/structures, power and fibre (cable) backhaul (underground and overhead) that connects a wireless service providers core network to the small cell technology.

The term latency refers to the time it takes for devices to respond to each other over the wireless network. For example, 3G networks had a typical response time of 100 milliseconds, 4G is around 30 milliseconds and 5G will be as fast as one millisecond.

The term IoT stands for the ‘Internet of Things’ and refers to the connection of devices and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. IoT examples in teh real world include wearables (e.g. smartwatch) and smart homes (e.g. Amazon Echo).

The term spectrum refers to the electromagnetic waves that travel within a certain band of wavelength. All 5G wireless devices communicate by radio waves, over frequency channels assigned from a common pool of frequencies, which are part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Spectrum is the invisible signal that allows Wireless Service Providers to transmit data across long distances to cellphones and other internet-connected devices. In radio and telecommunications, the frequency spectrum can be shared among many different broadcasters.

• Radiofrequency Energy and Safety
• Health Canada, Radio Frequency Exposure Guidelines
• Radiofrequency FAQ

• Scientific Evidence for Cell Phone Safety

• 5G mobile networks and health

• 5G technologies: radio waves and health

• What is radiation?

• 5G Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields

• 2020:04, Recent Research on EMF and Health Risks