Orange: the interest of 5G called into question within the company

While distrust of 5G is particularly strong in France, a new case revealed by Bloomberg comes to plead in favor of anti-5G.

The media retrieved a document recapitulating the exchanges of 1000 employees on Plazza, the company's internal platform. memos in which these employees ask management to stop the deployment of 5G . These requests were sent several times between early 2019 and early 2020.

Dangerous 5G for the environment?

Among the arguments put forward byr these Orange employees, that of profitability. According to them, the deployment of 5G would not really benefit operators. The main winners would be GAFA and smartphone manufacturers.

Above all, 5G would be according to them catastrophic for the environment. The arguments put forward join those of a particularly virulent anti-5G societal movement in France which Emmanuel Macron put an end to in mid-September 2020. He then accused the detractors of 5G of being a brake on progress.

However, a report from the High Council for the Climate published at the end of December indicates that "there is great uncertainty as to the potential effects of the deployment of 5G". And to specify that "5G is likely to increase significatively ”the carbon footprint of digital.

More specifically, the HCC estimates that the deployment of 5G will increase the carbon footprint of digital (15 Mt CO2 eq in 2020) by 2.7 to 6.7 Mt CO2 eq. The HCC adds:

For Orange, 5G has a “major utility in accelerating the environmental transition”

Like its competitors, Orange relies heavily on 5G. The official discourse is therefore established. In response to Bloomberg's survey, Orange “reaffirms the importance of 5G technology for the country's competitiveness and its major utility in accelerating the environmental transition”.

Logical remarks with regard to heavyweights investments represented by 5G. Orange has won the largest number of blocks in the last few years.res auction for a total amount of 854 million euros.

Like its competitors, the operator has already launched its 5G packages while the network is only available in a few municipalities in France. A hasty launch which earned him a legal attack (with SFR) for deceptive commercial practices . Despite everything, the machine is well on its way. And it doesn't seem like it will stop.