🇨🇭 Starlink satellites cannot replace mobile masts: Swiss EMF group rebuts broadcaster's claim

November 1, 2026 (EMFS)

Oct 29, 2026 (original)

Source: Gigaherz.ch

Source category: Advocacy/NGO

Gigaherz.ch reports: Swiss public broadcaster SRF said on 9 October that Elon Musk had bought the 800 MHz frequencies freed by the 2G shutdown and that Starlink satellites could penetrate roofs and concrete and replace the carriers' masts. Hansueli Jakob, who runs the group's non-ionizing radiation desk, rebuts it: the frequencies have to be auctioned in 2027, not bought, and an ordinary half-watt phone cannot reach a satellite 350 to 500 kilometres away. SRF corrected the item two days later, in social media only, according to Jakob.

Note: Gigaherz.ch, founded in 2000, describes itself as the Swiss interest group of people affected by electrosmog. Hansueli Jakob heads its NIS (non-ionizing radiation) specialist desk and writes regularly on Swiss telecoms infrastructure.

Quotes (our translation)

"But the 350 km from the handset back up to the satellite, and with oblique incidence it is even 500 km, on a transmit power of only 0.5 watts through a simple rod antenna? Please forget it."

[original: "Aber die 350km vom Handy zurück auf den Satelliten -bei Schrägeinstrahlung sind es sogar 500km – mit einer Sendeleistung von nur 0.5Watt über eine einfache Stabantenne? Bitte vergessen Sie das."]

— Hansueli Jakob, Gigaherz.ch

"If the wall thickness is greater than the wavelength, nothing gets through any more. If the wall thickness is smaller than the wavelength, the radiation passes through almost unimpeded."

[original: "Ist die Mauerdicke grösser als die Wellenlänge geht nichts mehr hindurch. Ist die Mauerdicke kleiner als die Wellenlänge geht die Strahlung fast ungebremst hindurch."]

— Hansueli Jakob, Gigaherz.ch

"For the uplink there are already special heavy satellite handsets with specially high transmit powers. But these work only outdoors, with a direct line of sight to the satellite. And they are good only for SMS or simple voice."

[original: "Für den Uplink gibt es schon spezielle schwere Satelliten-Handys mit speziell hohen Sendeleistungen. Aber diese funktionieren nur im Freien. Mit direkter Sichtverbindung auf den Satelliten. Und reichen nur gerade für SMS- oder einfache Sprache."]

— Hansueli Jakob, Gigaherz.ch

Location

📍 Switzerland

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Source

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🇨🇭 Starlink satellites cannot replace mobile masts: Swiss EMF group rebuts broadcaster's claim

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