Major U.S. airline CEOs warn 5G could ground some planes, wreak havoc
For the last 30 years we've been told to shut off our cellphones in planes because it may somehow affect the plane's systems. AT&T and Verizon are going to flip the switch and just find out.
Crazy 5G Conspiracy Theory. Wait, wut? Reuters and airline execs…surely airline CEOs don't know what their talking about, let them just flip the switch for faster downloads!
Major U.S. airline CEOs warn 5G could ground some planes, wreak havoc
The chief executives of major U.S. passenger and cargo carriers on Monday warned of an impending "catastrophic" aviation crisis in less than 36 hours, when AT&T (T.N) and Verizon (VZ.N) are set to deploy new 5G service.
The airlines warned the new C-Band 5G service set to begin on Wednesday [1/19/2022] could render a significant number of widebody aircraft unusable, "could potentially strand tens of thousands of Americans overseas" and cause "chaos" for U.S. flights.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has warned that potential interference could affect sensitive airplane instruments such as altimeters and significantly hamper low-visibility operations.
AT&T and Verizon, which won nearly all of the C-Band spectrum in an $80 billion auction last year, on Jan. 3 agreed to buffer zones around 50 airports to reduce interference risks and take other steps to cut potential interference for six months.
They also agreed to delay deployment for two weeks until Wednesday, temporarily averting an aviation safety standoff, after previously delaying service by 30 days.
Hopefully they figured everything out in the last 2 weeks 😅
Loss of connections: 5G wireless technology and aviation risks
Given the development and adoption of new technologies, knowing how to discern a conspiracy theory from a real threat can take time.
In recent years (especially in late 2020 and early 2021), reputable sources have warned us that the launch of 5G could have a negative impact on the safety of aviation activities in lower airspace.
The long-term consequences of 5G on aviation are still unknown. Yet, even if this risk is still poorly understood, potential lessons are at hand.
…
5G communication uses the frequency band 3.7 to 4.2 GHz. Part of this band, specifically the one designated as the frequency 3.7 to 3.98 GHz, will be devoted to 5G (sometimes called the C-band).
Typically, traffic in the C-band is not significant, given the current occupation of the band by low-power satellites. However, the situation is changing and this band could soon become very busy.
Radar altimeters use the frequency range of 4.2 to 4.4 GHz, just above the C-band provided for 5G.
Misreading an altimeter can have serious consequences and endanger the pilot, the aircraft and all passengers
https://www.blg.com/fr/insights/2021/02/losing-connections-5g-wireless-technology
FAA Statement of 5G
As of Jan. 5, none of the 88 airports would have been available for landing during low-visibility conditions.
The wireless companies agreed to create buffer zones for six months around airports where transmitters are in close proximity.
They also agreed to delay deployment until Jan. 19 while the FAA reviewed new data detailing the location and power of wireless transmitters in all 46 U.S. markets where this service will be deployed.
https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-statements-5g
Not that planes will fall out of the sky, probably, but surely not going to be a good travel day on Wednesday.
What else has not been really thought through on 5G if even the airline industry does not have the confidence regarding the impact of this technology.
Sounds like beta testing to me…
I guess it's the sort of thing they cannot test for in a lab, they need to turn on the whole system to see the impact.
Maybe "impact" is not the best term.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯