Last week it became known that the planned rollout in the USA of various 5G Services has been partially postponed. Several CEOs of various airlines officially expressed massive security concerns. As a result, some were allowed airplanes of the airlines Emirates, British Airways and Air India do not fly to the USA. Deutsche Lufthansa has already drawn consequences from the predicted problems.
Same 5G frequencies: feared interference with aircraft during the landing process
As reported by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), among others, airlines in the USA are expecting a possible “catastrophic disruption” from the 5G mobile communications standard. A corresponding radio network of the companies AT & T and Verizon in the vicinity of airplanes and airports is now to be restricted.
The problem lies in the C-band spectrum used by the telecommunications companies for 5G, as The Next Web explains. This should enable broader coverage and higher speeds.
However, the frequencies used are also very close to those used by sensitive aviation instruments. Airline operators therefore fear that 5G masts near airports could disrupt flight altitude meters, which indicate flight altitude and help with safe landing.
Letter to authorities: Airlines warn Ministry of Transport
Expressing the seriousness of their concerns, the CEOs of United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, UPS and Fedex sent a letter to the Department of Transportation and the FAA earlier in the week.
Among other things, there was talk of the threat of extensive flight cancellations, which “will (will) bring the nation’s commerce to an abrupt halt,” quoted the FAZ. It was also requested that 5G services not be allowed within a two-mile radius (about 3.2 kilometers) around runways and certain airports.
No danger for German air traffic
According to previous studies, there is no similar problem for German airports. Frequency ranges below 3.7 gigahertz are used, while the USA also operates above this. Frequencies of 4.2 to 4.4 gigahertz are planned for radar altimeters.
According to analyzes in the past, German air traffic control has ruled out possible interference from 5G in aircraft and aviation instruments for the time being. Because the FAA had only classified landings as harmless with a few altimeters, Deutsche Lufthansa exchanged the aircraft for some flights as a precaution.
Sources: FAZ, The Next Web