Wallonia agrees new 5G charter with mobile operators

The government of the Belgian region of Wallonia has announced an agreement with the country’s mobile operators which will finally enable the rollout of 5G while respecting the local administration’s environmental policies. Under the deal, the region has undertaken to raise cell tower electromagnetic emission limits to match those in force in Flanders (9.2V/m at 900MHz), and a decree to this effect now awaits parliamentary approval.

‘At the same time, there will be permanent monitoring of the towers and the effects of 5G on both the environment and people, because we must take everyone into account, including so-called electrosensitive people,’ Elio Di Rupo, Wallonia’s Minister-President, told RTL. For their part, the operators have made commitments to reduce their energy use and carbon emissions, support local employment, and ensure transparency regarding planned antenna deployments. The agreement will be signed in the coming days.