Netherlands can continue 5G rollout, court rules

The Dutch State can continue to auction off the frequencies for the rollout of 5G, the court in The Hague ruled in a lawsuit filed by action group Stop 5GNL. According to the court, there is no reason to believe that the government is ignoring public health in allowing this network, which will enable more capacity and faster connections for mobile digital communication. 

Stop 5GNL argued that the use of 5G can have negative health effects, citing a number of studies. The group also said that the government's experts were careless and ignored criticism on the 5G rollout. The State countered that the studies cited by the group do not meet the current scientific criteria.

The State's policy is determined based on expert advice and the guidelines of ICNIRP, an institute that specializes in health and environmental effects of so-called 'nonionizing radiation'. The ICNIRP concluded that, based on the current scientific knowledge, there are no health risks if the exposure to electro magnetic fields remain below the prescribed limits. And measurements by the Telecom Agency show that the 5G exposure is well below these limits. 

The court ruled that there are no indications that the government's experts were careless or ignored criticism. "The State indicated that it will continue to check that the ICNIRP limits are not exceed and will intervene if this is the case. The State also declared that it will intervene if new insights show that the applied limits themselves must be adjusted," the court said. Based on this, the court ruled that the government can continue to make it possible for 5G to be introduced in the Netherlands.