While many worry 5G's (and soon-to-be 6G's) radio waves could begin to harm our body and cell makeup, reviews about 5G have been more than stellar. But you might still wonder if it's safe.
The new millimeter wave that 5G uses to deliver your data comes with some seriously fast speeds. Even still, the 5G wave isn't so fast that it could cause harm to the cells in your body. The spectrum of radio waves and 5G (or any cell generation) doesn't produce harmful levels of radiation. Read on to find out why.
What does science say about 5G in 2026?
Studies of 5G continue to find no risk for cancer from cell tower broadcasting or other exposure to 5G millimeter waves.
Myths about cell phones are everywhere. So you may not wonder why some people worry about 5G in the first place, but sometimes the jump from safe to dangerous is just a few words away. Many people's worries come from the words we use to talk about 5G technology: frequency, radiation, and the electromagnetic spectrum.
What is 5G's frequency?
A frequency measure refers to the number of waves that pass a certain point per second. Lower frequencies, as seen in previous mobile generations, travel slower—so their resulting speeds are slower.
Since the 5G millimeter wave is a higher frequency wave than preceding mobile generations, it's able to deliver data faster than all other mobile generations. It's really as simple as that.
Frequency of each mobile generation in megahertz (MHz)
- 1G: between 800–900MHz
- 2G: between 800–1,800MHz
- 3G: between 1,600–2,000MHz
- 4G: between 2,000–8,000MHz
- 5G: between 30,000–300,000MHz
Most concerns around 5G stem from the large jump in frequency numbers, but as we'll explore next, a large change in frequency (or speed) doesn't inherently mean an increase in radiation or other scary changes.
Is 5G safe to use?
Yes, 5G radio waves are safe, and the research continues to support these facts.
Radiation is a key fear with 5G technology and whether or not the radiation 5G generates is capable of causing cancer. To understand the answer to that question, let's look at a quick explanation of harmful versus harmless radiation.
Yes, there is such a thing as harmless amounts of radiation: it's everywhere—in the food you eat, the soil you walk on, and it's in you, too. So, let's look at why that's okay.
5G and different types of radiation
Many things that we regularly encounter emit radiation—even you. Does that mean everything's dangerous? Unlike what most sci-fi movies want you to think, radiation has both safe and harmful energy levels.
Why? Well, let's look at the definition of the word radiation. Radiation is the product of energy that is measurable on the electromagnetic spectrum via wavelengths. In turn, those wavelengths tell us how strong each energy source is and how much radiation it can create.
There are two different kinds of radiation: ionizing radiation and non-ionizing radiation. If something emits ionizing radiation, it's very dangerous because it has enough energy to change the structure of your body's cells, even your DNA. If it contains non-ionizing radiation, it's not dangerous because its energy levels won't change cells or your DNA.
The 5G millimeter wave is not capable of altering the cells in your body—this is true no matter how fast the non-ionizing wave travels because its limits fall inside its frequency. The wave is simply too low on the electromagnetic spectrum to elicit changes in your body's chemistry.
Can 5G step outside the box?
To recap: Cellphones enlist a wave frequency to communicate with cell towers. The wave frequency is also known as a radio frequency which emits radiation. However, that radiation isn't capable of emitting the types of waves that harm your body or change the structure of your DNA.
If you look at this image of the electromagnetic spectrum, you'll see that each radio frequency has its own category of wave-type. This means that a radio wave will never be an X-ray, and a gamma ray will never be a microwave.
Types of ionizing (harmful) waves
- Upper Ultraviolet Waves
- X-rays
- Gamma Rays
This is why we can get cancer from harmful ultraviolet light by being in the sun without sunscreen for too long, but we can't get cancer from standing in a room with a lamp on. The lamp's light is simply not powerful enough.
5G versus 4G: What are the risks?
Because both 5G and 4G both fall in the electromagnetic spectrum of radio waves, neither poses a risk of dangerous radiation or DNA-changing strengths.
Even though cell phone companies continue to improve the radio wave tech for sending and receiving data, we haven't ventured into using dangerous wavelengths—like x-ray or gamma—for communicating. And it's unlikely we ever will because of the risks we already know about.
Can I turn off 5G on my phone?
Yes, you can turn off your 5G connection on your phone. While your 5G signal isn't dangerous, you might save yourself some battery life when not in 5G coverage. Most phones come preset to search for the fastest network anytime you travel around. This auto-connect setup means when you're outside a 5G network, your phone still uses resources to try and find one. A longer battery life can be a few taps away.
Check out our guide about turning off 5G on your phone: it has step-by-step instructions to help you manage what network your phone connects to and when.
Sources
Here are the sources I used in the creation of this guide:
- Ionizing and non-ionizing radio waves: Federal Communications Commission
- Ionizing Radiation: World Health Organization
- When is radiation dangerous: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Sources of radiation: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- UV radiation and skin cancer: American Cancer Society
5G phones, plans, and availability
Now that you're hopefully a bit more comfortable with 5G technology and the millimeter wave, let's talk about 5G smartphones and plans. All carriers, major and MVNO like, offer 5G access with their phone plans, along with 5G-capable smartphones.
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#1
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Visible
$25 Visible Plan
$25.00/mo
Taxes & Fees included
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#2
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Mint Mobile
Unlimited Data Plan
$25.00/mo
$75.00 upfront payment for 3 months (equals to $25.00/month). Intro pricing for new customers only.
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#3
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XFINITY Mobile
Mobile Select Plan
$0.00/mo
(for the first year of service) <br>Regular rate of $30/mo. thereafter
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#4
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T-Mobile
Essentials Saver
$50.00/mo
with Auto-Pay - Taxes & Fees NOT included
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#5
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US Mobile
Unlimited Starter Plan
$25.00/mo
$20/mo. for 6 months; $25/mo. thereafter
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If you'd like to compare cell phone plans on your own, then feel free to check out our customizable search engine. All you have to do is select the features you want from your next plan, choose the best one for you and your budget, and start saving!
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Aaron Gates
Deputy Editor
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