A new reason for conspiracy theorists to panic: Serbia is “slowly” introducing a 2025G network from June 5 – Time

“We expect that at the end of May, at the beginning of June, the complete procedure for introduction will be completed 5G network will be completed and that the mobile operators who will give the best offer and whose offers will be accepted will slowly enter the procedure of introducing the 5G network”, said the Minister of Information and Telecommunications Dejan Ristic.

The first step towards the introduction of 5G signals is a public discussion regarding the rulebook on the minimum conditions for the introduction of a 5G network.

“That public discussion started on September 13 and lasts for 30 days, on September 25 at noon in the Palace of Serbia we will have a round table as part of the public discussion, and on this occasion I invite all those interested to respond,” Ristic told RTS.

After the discussion, the Minister of Information and Telecommunications signs the rulebook, and the next step is under the competence of RATEL.

“They are announcing an international auction that should be completed by the spring of next year.” We also expect that at the end of May, beginning of June, the complete procedure will be completed and that the mobile operators who will give the best offer and whose offers will be accepted will slowly enter the procedure of introducing 5G”, said Ristić.

He pointed out that a unified auction will be held for 2G, 3G, 4G spectrum renewal and, on the other hand, for the introduction of the 5G network.

“That was one of the operator’s requests. Such a practice exists in a number of European countries. This will make the job of the operators easier because the auction will be unique,” emphasized Ristić.

A nightmare for conspiracy theorists

At the time of the covid-19 pandemic, the mere mention of 5G technology caused additional panic among the already terrified conspiracists, so theories spread on social networks that 5G technology helps in transmitting the virus, which scientists dismissed as complete nonsense.

Those conspiracy theories claim that 5G technology was somehow responsible for the emergence of the corona virus, and they come in two variants.

One version says that 5G technology somehow suppresses the immune system, making people allegedly more susceptible to infection, while another claims that the virus is transmitted through the use of 5G technology.

The truth is that 5G radio waves are nowhere near strong enough to affect the immune system, and it is completely impossible for 5G technology to transmit a virus, since viruses and electromagnetic waves, which enable mobile telephony, are completely different things.

5G network is ‘harmful because it is said to be’

In Serbia, conspiracy theories about the 5G network and its disastrous impact on humans were very well received, so they survived the covid-19 pandemic.

At the end of February 2024, residents of a street in Stara Pazova protested the installation of a 5G antenna in their neighborhood.

They asked the municipality to regulate the installation of that equipment, to move it away from houses because, they say, referring to information from the World Health Organization, there is still not enough information to indicate that the radiation of the 5G base station is safe.

When surveys are conducted on the streets of Serbia with questions about the 5G network, most of the answers come down to the words “carcinogenic”, “harmful” and “bad for humans”. When asked why – because that’s what people say.

That network has long been one of the most common topics on disinformation platforms. Conspiracy theorists simply adore her. In some inexplicable way, it became a kind of symbol of “Western colonialism”, “chipping”, “controlling people”, “radiation” and other accompanying content.