Newsroom

A comics about 5G and telecoms!

08 September 2025
bd-meme-longueur-onde
The comics « Tuned-In » is the work of Coline Weinzaepflen, illustrator and populariser, and Chadi Jabbour, associate professor at Télécom Paris. It takes you on a journey with Jenny into the world of wireless communications, introducing you to radio waves, the hidden side of your mobile phone, the advent of 5G, and more.

It is 2004; Jenny stumbles upon a time machine. Fascinated by dinosaurs, she decides to travel 65 million years back in time but misses her target and lands more modestly… in 2024!

However, Jenny is in shock: the evolution of technology over the past twenty years has been staggering, particularly mobile phones, which can take high-resolution photos, help you find your way around using GPS, and instantly view TikTok videos.

Thanks to a convenient plot twist, she meets Mateo, whose mother is an engineer at the French National Frequency Agency and whose brother is a seasoned environmental activist. These meetings enable Jenny to understand everything about radio waves, mobile phone generations from 1G to 5G and soon 6G, connected cities, data centers and all that these technologies can offer us. But Jenny also discovers the downside, with all the ecological consequences, particularly the problems of energy consumption and mineral extraction. Faced with this dilemma, Jenny is torn and decides to explore new horizons.

Read and download the comics Tuned-In

This comics was produced as part of the project IMTfor5G+ Future Skills and Jobs, funded by the France 2030 investment plan and the Banque des Territoires. It also received support from the European SHIFT project.

Chadi Jabbour’s objective is to promote scientific literacy in the field of ICT, particularly wireless communications, through three initiatives:

  • The creation of this comics;
  • Producing a series of educational videos with students of Télécom Paris;
  • Visiting French secondary and high schools, around ten per year over the next three years, to raise awareness and educate students about the proper use of communication technologies, as well as to attract more young people to these fields, particularly young women, thereby increasing diversity in general in our disciplines and career paths, in engineering training, research, etc.