Switzerland announced that it is halting the roll out of their 5G program indefinitely over health concerns. The European nation has one of the most advanced 5G networks in Europe with 2,000 antennas already in place to upgrade their network.

Other countries across Europe are scrambling to upgrade their networks to 5G, against the backdrop of the US and China wrangling over the use of Huawei technology. Most of Europe’s 5G infrastructure relies on Huawei technology, however the US has said this is a major security risk.

The Swiss environment agency, Bafu, who issues licences for the building of the antennae has said, it cannot yet provide universal criteria without further testing of the impact of 5G radiation.

The agency said it was “not aware of any standard worldwide” that could be used to benchmark recommendations. “Therefore Bafu will examine exposure through adaptive [5G] antennas in depth, if possible in real-world operational conditions. This work will take some time,” it said.

The Swiss Medical Association has argued that caution should be taken in the implementation of 5G technology as not enough testing has been conducted to show the affects of the radiation on the nervous system or on the risk of cancer.

Read More: FT