A post is being widely shared on social media claiming that under the new Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, Israel had started testing 10G in Gaza. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Israel started 10G testing in Gaza.
Fact: The tenth-generation technology (10G) has not been developed or researched yet as even sixth-generation technology (6G) is not yet a functioning technology and is only in the early research phase. On 29 September 2020, 5G (Fifth-generation network) had begun operating in Israel and there are suggestions about making a national policy on 6G. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched for news articles about 10G and Israel, we did not find any articles about it. According to this article, on 29 September 2020, the frequencies tender for the fifth-generation network (5G) in Israel was closed. The Ministry of Communications distributed frequency licenses to the cellular providers and thus announced that the 5G network had begun operating in Israel. The United States and China have already begun working on the development of sixth-generation communication infrastructures (6G). In addition to the US and China, countries such as Finland, South Korea, and Japan have begun promoting preliminary research and development of 6G applications. This article suggests that Israel must formulate a national policy on 6G.
According to this article, despite its vibrant tech sector, Israel has lagged countries such as Switzerland, South Korea, Britain, and Spain in rolling out 5G services.
When we searched for ongoing research on any new communication system with new features and introducing new technologies, we found a CNN news article. According to this article, while commercial cell phone providers and equipment vendors are working feverishly to build out 5G, and as the public eagerly awaits its rollout, researchers around the world are at work producing the wireless world’s next generation: 6G. According to this article, 6G is not yet a functioning technology and is instead in the early research phase. The final standards that will define what a 6G connection is will probably be down to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The ITU recently nailed down the standards for 5G (which it refers to as IMT-2020) after more than 8 years of work and is expected to start a similar process for 6G soon. As per reports, countries like China and, European Union have already started funding 6G research. These reports can be read here and here.
To sum it up, no, Israel did not start 10G testing in Gaza, even the sixth-generation technology (6G) is not yet functional and is only in the early research phase
