Telecom companies’ body forced to dispel rumours linking COVID-19 to 5G trials

NEW DELHI: The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), an industry association representing India’s private telecom services providers such as Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, and Vodafone Idea, has been forced to put out a clarification that the recently approved 5G trials are not linked in any way to the sharp rise in COVID-19 infections after rumours linking the two gained mileage in certain areas.

“We would like to clarify that these rumours are absolutely false. We urge people not to fall for such baseless misinformation. Several countries in the world have already rolled out 5G networks, and people are using these services safely. Even the World Health Organization (WHO) has clarified that there is no correlation between 5G technology and COVID-19,” COAI Director General SP Kochhar said in a statement.

COAI also pointed out that there were no 5G trials going on in the country and no 5G towers have been installed as yet.

The association said it has come across multiple messages on social media platforms as well as reports in a few regional media mentioning 5G spectrum trials as the probable cause for rising Covid-19 cases. “I appeal fellow citizens to beware of these fake messages,” Kochhar appealed.