Melita plans trial for 5G mobile network

Melita has applied for a licence to trial 5G using existing mobile networks and frequencies.

The company applied to the Malta Communications Authority for a license. The trial will take place at a limited number of selected sites, and use will use frequencies which Melita said wireless networks have already been using for many years.

“In 2018, Melita commissioned Ericsson to upgrade its mobile network and make it 5G ready. Today, with this state-of-the-art network in place, we are able to begin trialling 5G technology on frequencies which are already in use and therefore assess the performance of Ericsson’s advanced technology in this local context,” Chief Technology Officer at Melita Limited, Simon Montanaro said.

READ MORE: Medical ethicist says 5G should be studied further before roll-out

CEO at Melita Limited, Harald Rösch said that using existing mobile antenna sites would show only a “very negligible increase in emissions.” He added that the results of the technical trial would be made public.

Back in 2019, the chair of Malta’s national health ethics committee had appealed for a moratorium on 5G technology. The scientists had wanted to suspend the deployment of 5G data roll-outs until its potential hazards were investigated by scientists independent from the industry.